On the 18th anniversary of his enthronement, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church emphasised the need to emphasise spiritual values in order to live eternally in the love, peace, and joy of the Holy Trinity, as both Romanians and Europeans.
“We must also emphasise the spiritual values that help us not only to live here, until the grave, but to live in eternity, in the love, peace, and joy of the Holy Trinity. That is why, when we speak about Europe—and we have named this hall Europa Christiana—we mean a Europe that is, first of all, Christian in faith,” His Beatitude explained.
The Patriarch emphasised that Europe must uphold moral values, not just pursue material progress.
European culture has three great components: the Judeo-Christian revelation of Holy Scripture and the apostolic work of the most zealous of the Apostles; Greek philosophy, as wisdom accumulated through the centuries; and Roman law as a spiritual force for organising human communities. Therefore, we must not forget the most important dimension of European culture: Christian faith. For us, Europe is one of values, not only of material progress and, as it is often said, of a good standard of living,” Patriarch Daniel added.
Model of citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven
Reflecting on the present and future, in the context of the Holy Synod’s declaration of 2026 as the Commemorative Year of Holy Women in the Calendar and the Solemn Year of Pastoral Care for the Christian Family, Patriarch Daniel cited the family of Saint Basil the Great as an example.
“Therefore, next year, when we will celebrate the Solemn Year of the Christian Family and the Commemorative Year of Holy Women—whether Myrrhbearers, martyrs, nuns, wives, or mothers—this year is dedicated to the importance of preserving the Christian faith and transmitting it through the family,” he said.
“And the icon of the next year, as you have already received, is the icon of the Saints from the family of Saint Basil the Great, which has eight members of the family numbered among the saints. This is the citizenship of the Kingdom of the Holy Trinity,” the Patriarch noted.
By evoking the example of Saint Basil’s family, Patriarch Daniel reiterated that Christian values are first received within the family and only afterwards through other institutions, including the Church.
18 years for a Cathedral
Regarding the building of the National Cathedral, the Patriarch reviewed the stages the project has undergone over the past 18 years.
“Three years were spent preparing the projects, and fifteen years on construction. Of course, some cathedrals the size of ours in Bucharest were built in the Middle Ages in 200 years,” he said.
“I have mentioned that the dimensions of our Cathedral are almost identical to those of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. And in parallel with this work on the Cathedral, we had other concerns, because you cannot devote yourself to a new building while ignoring what you have inherited from your predecessors,” Patriarch Daniel explained.
In conclusion, the Patriarch once again gave thanks to God and to all those who support the work of the Church in society.
“This is God’s work, and that is why we thank Him, we thank all those who help us—clergy and laity, central and local authorities—and of course we have this duty to emphasise, first of all, the unity of faith and national unity, while also feeling the joy of God’s help,” the Patriarch concluded.
Photo: Mircea Florescu / Basilica.ro
Source: basilica.ro
