His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania sent a letter to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in which he expressed his support of the Moscow Patriarchate’s initiatives concerning the protection and promotion of the Gospel principles and of the Christian traditions in society. The text is given below.
Your Holiness,
Beloved brother and concelebrant in Christ, our Lord,
In the recent period, we have learned about some reprievable acts against both the Russian Orthodox Church and against Your Beatitude personally.
Unfortunately, the anti-Christian attitude of some persons or associations claiming to represent the civil society is manifested more and more often all over the world. The moral perennial values of Christianity promoted by the Orthodox Church are increasingly despised in a preponderantly individualistic and secularised society, which unfortunately can no longer perceive the presence of God and understand the need of the communion with Him.
In this sense, the Romanian Orthodox Church supports the initiative of the sister Russian Orthodox Church concerning the protection and promotion of the Gospel principles and of the Christian bi-millennial traditions in society. At the same time, the Romanian Orthodox Church expresses the fraternal solidarity with the Russian Orthodox Church who is defamed and humiliated. While thinking of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ addressed to His disciples: “In this world you will have trouble. But, be courageous! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), we pray the Most Holy Trinity to spiritually strengthen and protect you.
Certainly, during the hard years of the communist dictatorship, our Churches learned not to accept culture without faith, science without spirituality, matter without spirit, knowledge without communion, philosophy without hope, and, most of all, a society without God. Unfortunately, we observe that the capitalist society of today is often hostile towards the Church and her work in the society.
In this context, we think that precisely during such trials, the consultation and cooperation between our sister Orthodox Churches strengthen us in defending the true faith and in cultivating the fraternal communion.
With deep esteem and brotherly love in Christ,
+ DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church