On July 21, 2023, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel welcomed His Excellency Mr Radko Vlaykov, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Romania, at the patriarchal residence.
The Patriarch of Romania expressed the joy of having the Ambassador as a guest at the Romanian Patriarchate and emphasised the importance of the two sister Orthodox Churches, the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, in the history and spirituality of the two neighbouring and fellow peoples.
At the same time, His Beatitude wished the Ambassador to have a fruitful and beautiful diplomatic mission in our country.
His Excellency Mr Radko Vlaykov thanked for the reception and stressed that the meeting with the Patriarch of Romania is a blessing, recalling their previous meeting in 2022 on the occasion of the proclamation of the canonisation of Saint Theophano Basarab, who represents a bridge between the Romanian and Bulgarian people.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel mentioned the importance of exchanges of theology students in strengthening the fraternal ties between the two Orthodox Churches, as well as the need to organise pilgrimages to holy places in Romania and Bulgaria, in particular, to the relics of Saint Parascheva of Iași, who is very loved by the Bulgarian people, and to the relics of Saint Demetrius the New, the Protector of Bucharest, originally from Basarabov, Bulgaria.
The presence of the Bulgarian community in Romania was also addressed, which, following the example of the Romanian Orthodox Community in Sofia, is taking the necessary steps to build its place of worship in Bucharest.
During the talks, the Patriarch of Romania highlighted the importance of preserving and promoting the Christian faith in the context of today’s world, marked by new ideologies that accentuate immanent materialistic goals without a transcendent perspective of life.
Department for External Church Relations
Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Raluca-Emanuela Ene