The decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church concerning the declaration of the year 2012 as Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick conveyed to all the eparchial bishops of the Romanian Patriarchate:

We inform you, with brotherly love, that on its working session of 17 February 2011, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church examined the report of the Holy Synod Office concerning the declaration by the Romanian Patriarchate of the year 2012 as “Homage Year of the Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”.

Taking into account the fact that the Standing Meeting of the Church National Council of 23 December 2010 approved the initiative of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel concerning the declaration of the year 2012 as “Homage Year of the Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”, with the initiative to be submitted to the approval of the Holy Synod;

Because the initiative of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel is focused on: sustaining and promoting the Orthodox teaching on the Sacrament of the Holy Unction; on the pastoral and practical deepening of the Sacrament of the Holy Unction by consulting and looking after the sick; on the topical character of the theme in the life of the Church and society; on the need to prepare in due time - through studies, articles, books and liturgical spiritual educational, social-medical and theological scientific manifestations in 2012 - the publication of these activities through the mass media means of our Church, as well as the estimation, at the end of the year, of the way of implementing in eparchies the frame programme for celebrating the “Homage year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick”;

Taking into account the next frame programme worked out by the Holy Synod Office for achieving the religious spiritual, social-philanthropic and medical, cultural-editorial and media project entitled “2012 – Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick”:

I. During the first semester of the year 2012:

A. The theme of the Sacrament of the Holy Unction will be presented and treated from the point of view of the following aspects:

1. Bible-patristic and historical presentation:

a) Examples in the Holy Scriptures concerning suffering from physical and spiritual diseases and their healing: cases present in the Old Testament (repentance, usage of oil as medicine etc.) and the presence of the Holy Unction in the New Testament – Mark 6:12-13; James 5:13-15 (confession of the sins and the healing power of the grace of the Holy Spirit through the oil consecrated by the servants of the Church);
b) The Holy Unction and looking after the sick in the life and writings of the Holy Fathers. The Thaumaturgic Saints;
c) Social medical institutions for looking after the sick in the past of the Church, as social extension of the Sacrament of the Holy Unction.

2. Sacrament of the Holy Unction – theological and existential significance: good health – gift of God and human responsibility; repentance and forgiveness of the sins, spiritual and physical healing – reintegration of man in the love and life of the Risen Christ.

3. Sacrament of the Holy Unction from a liturgical point of view:

a) Place, time and matter of the Holy Unction;
b) Bible symbolism (Isaiah 11:2-3: Joshua 6:13-16; III Kings 18:43-44; IV Kings 4: 34-35; IV Kings 5:14) of number 7 in the Sacrament of the Holy Unction as the work of the fullness of the Church: invocation of the grace of the Holy Spirit seven times at the consecration of the oil, reading seven periscopes of the Apostle and of the Gospel, seven ointments with holy oil; seven consecrations of the Sacrament;
c) Repeatability and effects of the Holy Unction: for the physical healthy persons – forgiveness of the sins and deification of the life; for the sick – mercy of God through the forgiveness of the sins, spiritual and physical healing; for the incurable and dying patients – comfort and alleviation of the sufferance which becomes stair to heaven and search of salvation;
d) Non-Orthodox innovations and practices concerning the Sacrament of the Holy Unction: Scholastic Roman-Catholic influences (extrema unctio); diminishing or alterations of the rite; often or frequent celebration; opening of the Holy Gospel.

II. During the second semester of 2012:

B. The theme of looking after the sick will be complementary presented in close relationship with the Sacrament of the Holy Unction, as follows:

1. Catechisation of the faithful concerning:

a) Good health as gift of God and human responsibility;
b) Holy physicians in the Church Tradition;
c) Consulting and looking after the sick – a healing task of every faithful

2. Pastoral work of the Church and of her servants for looking after the sick

a) Pastoral service for the sick – Christ is present and heals the sick. Effects of the moral and social economical crisis over the physic and spiritual life of the humans;
b) Pastoral work of the medical staff – Christ is present in the physician’s work. The effects of the economical crisis in the degradation of the medical act and of the sanitary assistance of the people (migration of the physicians and of the sanitary staff);
c) Responsibility of the priest for advising the sick and dying and administration of the Sacrament of the Holy Unction in due time.

3. Social philanthropic and medical work of the Church and of her servants:

a) Statutory provisions and church regulations, Holy Synod and eparchial bodies in the field of the social philanthropic and medical assistance;
b) State legislation on the social-philanthropic and medical assistance of the Church;
c) The social-philanthropic and medical activity of our Church through her own institutions and various associations in the field;
d) Cooperation of the church social assistance institutions with the state institutions and specialised NGO-s bodies; international cooperation in the field;
e) Mission of the hospital priest and his cooperation with the physician for looking after the sick;
f) Dialogue of the Church with the medical world for looking after the sick (Bio-ethics Commission of the Romanian Patriarchate, theological scientific dialogue etc.);

C. Basilica Press Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate will initiate through its branches (Trinitas Radio, Trinitas TV, Lumina newspaper) programmes and advertising materials etc., for promoting the “Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick” in 2012.

D. Drafting studies, comments and bibliographies with Bible, patristic, historical, dogmatic, liturgical, pastoral, social-medical and ecumenical content for presenting the “Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick” within the frameworks presented in paragraphs I and II;


III. In October 2012, a working session of the Holy Synod on the theme “2012 – Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick” will be held at the Patriarchate Palace, and a thematic exhibition organised, displaying the most beautiful and representatives frescoes, icons, miniatures, embroideries and weavings to reflect: the healings done by Jesus Christ, our Lord, wonders of the saints healing the sick, social-philanthropic and medical settlements in the past of our Church and today.

IV. In 2012, theological debates and colloquies, bible-patristic and historical theological studies, as well as pastoral-missionary and social-medical will be organised at the level of the eparchies and of the theological educational institutions.


V. Medical theological symposiums on the role and common work of the Church and of the physicians for looking after the sick will be organised at the level of the eparchies and of the theological educational institutions, in 2012.


VI. The theme „2012 – Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick” will be debated at the semestral Pastoral Missionary Conference in the spring of 2012, as part of the church national frame programme, with possible further debate at one of the monthly administrative conferences of the priests established in every eparchy. The eparchies can invite to these conferences very moral experts in the social and medical field to present aspects of the care provided to the sick from a Christian medical point of view.


VII. In order to achieve some visual material on the theme “2012 – Homage of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick”, the redactors of the Trinitas Television channel and of “Lumina” newspaper will ask for the collaboration of the eparchial centres for finding in churches and monasteries, as well as in libraries, the most beautiful and representatives frescoes, icons, miniatures, embroideries and weavings, mosaics and stained glasses which reflect the healings made Jesus Christ, our Saviour, wonders of the saints healing the sick, social-philanthropic and medical settlements of the past and present of our Church. All the material gathered will be included in an album entitled “The Holy Unction and Looking after the Sick” which will be published under the supervision of the Basilica Press Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate.


VIII. A book entitled “Social Philanthropic and Medical Assistance in the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Past and Present” will be published for the spiritual benefit of the faithful and as means of catechisation and education of the Orthodox youth. The Patriarch of Romania will assign the group of authors to prepare the book for printing.


Having appreciated the church national character of this frame programme with important implications in sustaining and promoting the Orthodox teaching of faith on the Sacrament of the Holy Unction and its pastoral and practical deepening through the consultations and care provided to the sick;

Taking into account the topical character of the theme in the life of the Church and society, the need to prepare it in due time through studies, articles, books on the theme and manifestations with liturgical, spiritual, educational, social medical and theological scientific character in 2012, to emphasise this frame programme through the media means of our Church, as well as to estimate, at the end of the year, the implementation of the frame programme for celebrating the “Homage Year of the Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”;

As a result of the discussions that took place and following the proposal of the Theological Liturgical and Didactic Commission, the Holy Synod decided:


1. To take notice of and approve the initiative of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel recommended to the Holy Synod by the Standing meeting of the Church National Council during the meeting of 23 December 2010, concerning the declaration in the Romanian Patriarchate of the year 2012 as “Homage Year of the Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”.

2. To approve the church national frame programme in 8 points (I-VIII) initiated and proposed by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, rendered in the present report, which will be communicated to the eparchies, in view of implementing the religious spiritual, social philanthropic and medical, cultural editorial and media project entitled “2012 – Homage Year of the Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”.

3. To approve the fact that the eparchial hierarchs should take the necessary measures, in every eparchy and theological school, designed to illustrate the church national frame programme entitled “2012 – Homage Year of the Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”, through local actions and manifestations (media, publications, conferences, pastoral, theological, cultural-educational meetings and symposiums) with the contributions of the theology professors, of the experts in the social philanthropic and medical field, of the priests and monks, emphasising the importance of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick in the life of the Church and society, with special heed paid to the involvement of the Christian Orthodox youth in this programme.

4. To approve Basilica Press Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate to initiate and present through its branches (Trinitas Radio, Trinitas TV, Lumina newspaper) programmes and telecasts, advertising materials etc., designed to promote in 2012 the “Homage Year of the Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”.

5. To approve the publication, by care of the Social Philanthropic Department of the Patriarchal Administration, of a book entitled “Social Philanthropic and Medical Assistance in the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Past and Present”, in order to inform the priests and units of cult, the faithful involved in the medical act, the public institutions and other non-governmental organisations and institutions from the country and abroad willing to know and support the social and medical assistance of our Church.

6. To approve, for the same purpose, that a DVD entitled “Social Philanthropic and Medical Assistance in the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Past and Present” should be edited through the cooperation among the Social Philanthropic Department of the Patriarchal Administration, Trinitas TV and the eparchies of the Romanian Patriarchate, which will reflect the respective activity in the eparchies of the Romanian Patriarchate.

7. To approve the drafting and publication, by care of Basilica Press Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate, of an album entitled “The Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick” which will present the healings by Jesus Christ, our Saviour, wonders of certain saints healing the sick, social philanthropic and medical settlements in the past and present of our Church.

8. To approve the semestral spring Pastoral Missionary Conference to treat the theme “2012 – Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick”, taking into account the stipulations of paragraphs I and II of the programme approved, with possible further debate in one of the monthly administrative conferences of the priests established by every eparchy. The eparchies may invite experts of high morality and professional experts in the social and medical field to present aspects of the care provided to the sick from Christian and medical point of view.

Having informed you of this decision of the Holy Synod, we kindly ask you to take the necessary measures in order to communicate its contents to all the church and theological education units of the eparchy, as well as the clergy, monks and faithful, with the help of the eparchial press.

The present decree of the Holy Synod has also been communicated to the Social Philanthropic Department of the Patriarchal Administration and to the branches of Basilica Press Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate (Trinitas Radio, Trinitas Television, “Lumina” publications, Basilica News Agency, Press Office).

With brotherly embrace in Christ,

President of the Holy Synod
+ Daniel
Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea,
Locum Tenens of the Throne of Caesatea of Cappadochia and
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church


Secretary of the Holy Synod
+ Ciprian Campineanul
Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch

(Article published in “Lumina” newspaper on 4 January 2012)