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Church in the WorldNew 'open-minded' patriarch welcomedRomania Jonathan Luxmoore - 22 September 2007Romania's Catholic Church has welcomed the election of Metropolitan Daniel Ciobotea of Moldova and Bukovina as the country's new Orthodox patriarch and praised his past contributions to ecumenical relations, writes Jonathan Luxmoore. "Considering the tense atmosphere surrounding these elections, our reaction is highly positive", said Fr Francisc Dobos, spokesman for the Church's Bucharest archdiocese. "As the most open-minded candidate, Daniel can be expected to bring a new era in ecumenical dialogue and to refresh Catholic-Orthodox relations here." The priest was speaking after the 12 September election of Patriarch Daniel, 56, by a majority of 95 votes in Romania's 161-member Orthodox council. He said Metropolitan Daniel was well known for his close ties with Catholics and Protestants in Europe, and had also achieved "extraordinary evangelical things" in his archdiocese of Iasi, setting up a Christian station, Radio Trinitas, in 1998, which broadcasts throughout Romania. However, he added that the new patriarch, who is one of nine in the 300 million-strong worldwide Orthodox community, could also face tough opposition within his own Church, which traditionally comprises 87 per cent of Romania's 23 million inhabitants. "He will be a good leader for Christians in this country and abroad", said Fr Dobos. "But there was a holy struggle in these elections, mounted by traditionalist and conservative elements, who are likely to be against his policy of dialogue and ecumenism." The new patriarch is to be installed on 30 September in Bucharest's patriarchal cathedral. The election of Patriarch Daniel was also welcomed by Archbishop Ioan Robu of Bucharest, president of Romania's Latin-rite Catholic Bishops' Conference. Patriarch Daniel, who defeated Metropolitan Bartolomeu Anania of Cluj and Bishop Ioan Selejean of Covasna and Harghita in the third-round vote, studied in Bucharest with the celebrated Romanian theologian Dumitru Staniloae and taught at Switzerland's ecumenical Bossey Institute before becoming a monk in 1987. He was appointed Metropolitan in 1990, and has been a member of the Catholic-Orthodox International Commission for Theological Dialogue. |
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