Romanian Patriarchate meets ahead of Council in Crete

(Romanian Patriarchate) - The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church met in working session, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, from 6 to 7 June 2016, at the Synodal Hall in the Patriarchal Residence.

We mention some of the decisions taken by the hierarchs of the Holy Synod:

• Canonization of Metropolitan Jacob Putneanul of Moldavia (1750-1760), with feast day on May 15, and of Venerable Fathers Silas, Paisios and Nathan from Sihăstria Putnei (Hermitage of Putna) Monastery, with feast day on May 16;
  
  

  

  Image Courtesy: Pravoslavie.ru

• To identify new ways to support family, youth and poor parish communities;
• To intensify the religious education of the Orthodox youth in the dioceses, both through school, and through activities carried out by the Church;
• Approval of the translation into English, French, German, Italian and Spanish of the Services of Baptism and Marriage (Crowning), especially for the missionary use of the Romanian Orthodox Communities from outside Romania;
• Establishment of a Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Bucharest, in the composition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate of the Romanian Patriarchate;
• Approval of the members of the delegation of the Romanian Patriarchate, who will participate in the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, Greece, 16-27 June 2016), and of the amendments of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the documents on the agenda of the Council in Crete, for a joint witness of unity of faith and co-responsibility for the life and mission of the Church at Pan-Orthodox level.

The Holy Synod urges the clergy, the monastics and lay faithful to intensify prayer so that the participants in the works of the Holy and Great Council in Crete will express the faith of the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church and will promote liturgical communion and fraternal cooperation for the benefit of Orthodox ministry in today’s world.

And also...

(Romanian Patriarchate) - In the opening of the works of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, referred to the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church that will convene in Crete this June. His Beatitude urged all faithful, clergy, monastics and lay people to pray, in a universal (Synodal) spirit, for the good development of the Holy and Great Council.

The Patriarch of Romania offered an answer to those who argue against the participation of a limited number of persons in the Holy and Great Council, saying that “Not everyone can participate, but everyone has the responsibility to contribute, to advise and to pray so that the Holy Spirit, and not a worldly spirit, will guide the works of the future Pan-Orthodox Council”.

As stated in January 2016, in the opening of the works of the Synaxis of the Primates of Orthodox Churches in Chambésy, the Romanian Patriarch stressed out the Synodal (conciliar) character of Orthodoxy, which has to be manifested both at local, and at universal (Pan-Orthodox) levels...

We have to be very responsible, because the unity of faith is very important to us.

When we gather in Synod, we have to express the one and holy faith, the unity of the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church, in order to reflect the faith of the entire Church.

That is why, the parish and monastery clergy, the faithful and monastics are asked to pray, to come together in a Synodal spirit, because the consensus of the Church within a Council, and in her fullness, represents the expression of unity or communion of faith.

Not everyone can participate, but everyone has the responsibility to contribute, to advise and, especially, to pray so that the Holy Spirit, and not a worldly spirit, will guide the works of the future Pan-Orthodox Council.

We have a moral duty to witness together not just at home, but also at Pan-Orthodox level, the unity of faith in the Church.

The greatest gift of greatest price of the spiritual life of the Church is the unity of faith, which is expressed in sacramental unity, but also in the missionary and pastoral ministry of the Church carried out today in the world.

We have to express unity, but also co-responsibility.

Orthodoxy is synodal (conciliar), both at local, national, and at Pan-Orthodox levels. The Synod (Council) is always the institution with the greatest responsibility for keeping true faith, true experience in Christ and the pastoral organization at all levels.