On Friday, January 5, the Chapel of the Kretzulescu Diocesan Residence in Targoviște hosted a Te Deum service to mark the 80th birthday of Metropolitan Nifon, who is also the vice moderator of the central committee of the World Council of Churches and the Αrchbishop of Targoviste.
The event was attended by members of the Standing Diocesan Council, deans, board members of the Faculty of Theology and the Theological Seminary in Târgoviște, members of the Diocesan Council, parliamentarians, and the board of the “Valahia” University in the locality.
In attendance were county and municipal authorities, such as Dambovița County Prefect Claudia Gilia, Mayor Daniel Cristian Stan of Targoviște, and President Corneliu Stefan of the Dambovița County Council.
Father Ionuț Ghibanu, Diocesan Vicar, read the message addressed by Patriarch Daniel on this occasion.
“You worked with time and without time, uniting spiritual life with social service, but also peace between religious denominations with love for the country,” the Patriarch of Romania wrote in his congratulatory message.
Life as a gift from above
As an outcome of God’s affection for all, Metropolitan Nifon referred to the great gift of life, which we must cultivate by bestowing gifts upon one another and striving to benefit our neighbour.
His Eminence stated that love for one’s neighbour, including one’s enemy, encapsulates the essence of the spiritual revolution that Christ initiated on earth and serves as the foundation for the Christian civilization of love that the Church has established.
Moreover, the absence of commitment and affection and contemporary ideologies are the root causes of every significant global issue. Despite this, the ecclesiastical mission provides solutions and essential healing consistent with Christian values.
The Metropolitan noted that God grants us time to contemplate His love and mercy with sincerity and fervour, thereby continually strengthening human solidarity and communion for our own benefit and that of the world.
Ultimately, His Eminence offered a reception in the “St. Neagoe Basarab” Aula of the Diocesan Residence.
Photography courtesy of Târgoviște Archdiocese
Source: basilica.ro