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On 28 October 2-17, after the prayer service at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Ss Constantine and Helen Equal-to-the-Apostles in Bucharest, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia took part in the grand meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The meeting held at the Patriarchal Palace was dedicated to the memory of Patriarch Justinian of Romania (1901-1977), the new martyrs, confessors and defenders of Orthodoxy in the years of persecution against the Church.

Sitting in the presidium were His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and Bishop Varlaam of Ploieşti, assistant bishop to the Patriarch of Romania and secretary of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Taking part in the meeting were members of the Hoy Synod, bishops, clerics, monastics and laypeople of the Romanian Orthodox Church; members of the delegations of the Bulgarian, Georgian, Polish, Albanian, the Czech Lands and Slovakia Local Orthodox Churches, representatives of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches of Romania.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel opened the meeting and addressed the participants.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia presented a report on “Confessing the Orthodox Faith under the Theomachist System and the Meaning of Our Freedom Today”. The presentation was interrupted by prolonged applause.

His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios; His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav; Metropolitan Naum of Ruse; Bishop Vakhtang of Nikortsminda; and Bishop Jakub of Białystok and Gdańsk also delivered reports. Bishop Varlaam presented report on Patriarch Justinian of Romania.

As the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was completing his visit to the Romanian Orthodox Church, participants in the meeting sang ‘Many Years’ to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and members of his delegation

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill addressed His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, saying:“I would like to cordially thank You, our Beatitude, for the initiative to hold this remarkable meeting and for the invitation to come to Bucharest.

My visit to the Romanian Orthodox Church has become a wonderful event to me. I had an opportunity to pray with you, to look at the faces of the Romanian believers and see the strength of the Orthodox Church in Romania. The power of the Church is the power of the spirit, and a spiritually strong person can surmount any difficulty. I believe in the bright, good and happy future of Romania.”May the Lord keep you and your beautiful country!” Patriarch Kirill concluded his address by proclaiming ‘Many Years!’ in the Romanian language.

His Holiness signed the distinguished visitors’ book. The entry reads: “Many talents of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel multiplied by his sacrificial labours for the good of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the people of Romania are crowned with the impressive achievements in all spheres of church life. I brotherly wish His Beatitude many years of life and God’s aid in his lofty ministry. With love in Christ, +Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.”

Metropolitan Daniel continued to officiate at the meeting; the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church proceeded to the Henri Coandă International airport and was seen off by Metropolitan Nifon of Târgovişte, head of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and H.E. Valery I. Kuzmin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Romania.