Source: Basilica News Agency
April 21, 2016
His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, received April 21, 2016, at the Patriarchal Residence, His Excellency Mr. Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine.
During the meeting, His Beatitude expressed joy over the visit of the Ukrainian president and stressed the important historical and spiritual ties between the two neighboring peoples. In this regard, the Patriarch of Romania recalled the Holy Hierarch Peter Mogila, Metropolitan of Kiev of Romanian origin, and the Holy Paisius (Velichkovsky), abbot of Ukrainian origin of the Monastery of Neamţ in the late eighteenth century. The spiritual brotherhood between the two peoples remains until today, as demonstrated by the throng of Romanian pilgrims who visit the most important spiritual places in Ukraine.
President Petro Poroshenko thanked His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel for the kindness of receiving him on his visit and for his efforts towards rapprochement between the two peoples, who have very many things in common as in both countries the majority of the people are Orthodox and especially cherish the Church.
Regarding the situation of the Church in his country, the President of Ukraine requested the Patriarch of Romania to support and facilitate the realization of the desire of Ukrainians to have a united Orthodox Church. Also, the Ukrainian head of state noted that in Ukraine there are over 100 Orthodox parishes in which religious services are held in the Romanian language and, in this context, he expressed the desire that the Ukrainians of Romania be able to have religious services in their mother tongue, including in Bucharest.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel reminded the president that in Romania there is a Ukrainian Orthodox vicariate which has 32 parish churches and 3 monasteries, in which religious services are held in Ukrainian. In this regard, His Beatitude expressed his willingness to establish a parish to serve the Ukrainian community in the Romanian capital.
