Metropolitan Herman congratulates Patriarch-Elect Daniel of Romania

METROPOLITAN HERMAN CONGRATULATES PATRIARCH-ELECT DANIEL OF ROMANIA

SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications]—In a letter dated September 13, 2007, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, send congratulatory greetings to His Eminence, Metropolitan Daniel of Moldova and Bucovina, who was elected Patriarch of Romania.

Patriarch-elect Daniel succeeds the late Patriarch Teoctist, who fell asleep in the Lord at the age of 92 on July 30, 2007.

The text of Metropolitan Herman’s letter reads as follows.

“With joy I greet you on the occasion of your election as Patriarch of Romania. The journey of your life has prepared you to take upon your shoulders the ministry of patriarch. Your theological scholarship and teaching, your ecumenical witness, and your pastoral ministry as Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina equip you for the patriarchal ministry.

“While building up and guiding the Church of Romania will be at the heart of your ministry, you will also be called to contribute to the witness of Holy Orthodoxy in the world. In this regard, the witness of Orthodoxy in the West is an important dimension and challenge of Orthodox life in the twenty-first century.

“I pray that your knowledge of this dimension and its challenges will enable you to accompany the progress of Orthodoxy in the West. Today Orthodox hierarchs, priests, and laity are called upon to ensure that the Orthodox witness in the West is not limited to the ‘diaspora,’ but is rather a dynamic and convincing witness of the Holy Orthodox Church in the midst of Western societies.”

The official communique issued by the Patriarchate of Romania’s press office may be found on the internet at www.patriarhia.ro/Site/Stiri/2007/100.html, while a comprehensive biography of Patriarch-elect Daniel may be found at www.patriarhia.ro/CV%20eng.html.