On the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent (the Sunday of Saint John Climacus), His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Moldova, visited the Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Portugal. His Eminence attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Grace Bishop Teofil of Iberia, Vicar of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal.
On the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, 30 March 2025, His Grace Bishop Teofil of Iberia, Vicar of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal, visited the Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Portugal. His Grace officiated the Divine Liturgy, assisted by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Andrei Jilcu, Abbot of the monastery, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Daniil Pinciuc, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Onufrie Drăguș, and the Very Reverend Archdeacon Casian Nemet. His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of Chișinău and All Moldova, who is on a pilgrimage in the Iberian Peninsula, attended the Holy and Divine Liturgy.
In his homily, His Grace Bishop Teofil of Iberia stated: “Fasting and prayer are not merely occasional means we use to fight against evil. They must become a way of life for us Christians. To fast means to cast away from our lives everything that could separate us from the love of Christ. And prayer should not be just an occasional act but a continuous connection with God in our minds and hearts. Only in such a state do we bring rest to the Good Lord, and the devil cannot approach us.”
At the conclusion, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir added: “Due to our sins, God allows illnesses and infirmities, yet all of these occur because we do not have complete faith in the Good Lord. We believe, but at the same time, we do not truly believe. It is essential to have deep faith, for only in this way, through our earthly life, can we attain the heavenly and eternal one.”
As a token of gratitude, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir presented His Grace Bishop Teofil of Iberia with an engolpion, receiving in return an icon of the Mother of God and the Infant Christ. Additionally, as a mark of appreciation, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir was gifted a blessing cross from the monastery. In this context, he expressed his gratitude to His Grace Bishop Timotei, Ruling Hierarch of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal, and His Grace Bishop Teofil of Iberia for their kindness in receiving him “as a pilgrim in the Holy Altar.” Furthermore, he conveyed his desire to visit other monasteries in Western Europe, asking for their prayers. Concluding his message, the archpastor rejoiced in this blessed opportunity to meet Romanian Christians in the diaspora, appreciating the fact that they “do not forget their roots, their faith, or God.”