The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs us:

Following the initiative of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel taken during the working session of 17 February 2011, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church approved to declare the year 2012 as Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick in the Romanian Patriarchate.

In this sense, the Holy Synod Office worked out a frame programme with church national character for implementing in 2012 the spiritual religious, cultural editorial and media project entitled 2012 - Homage Year of the Extreme Unction and looking after the sick in the Romanian Patriarchate.

In 2012, the Romanian Patriarchate and the eparchies of the country will organise pastoral-missionary conferences, theological colloquies, debates and spiritual evenings on the Extreme Unction Sacrament (Bible-patristic and historical presentation, theological existential significance, repeatability and effects of the Extreme Unction, non-Orthodox innovations and practice on the celebration of this Holy Mystery etc.)

The professors of the Orthodox theological educational institutions will also draft studies, comments, bibliographies with Bible, patristic, historical, dogmatic, liturgical, homiletic-catechetic, pastoral and social-medical content on the Extreme Unction Sacrament. Special heed will be paid to this Holy Sacrament in the Orthodox catechesis, pastoral service, social-philanthropic and medical activity of the Church and of her servants for looking after the sick.

The church national frame programme will also include the pastoral-missionary spring semestral Conference for 2012 – Homage Year of the Extreme Unction and looking after the sick in the Romanian Patriarchate, which will be deepened within one of the monthly church administrative conferences established by each eparchy.

In 2012, in autumn, a solemn working session of the Holy Synod will take place on the theme 2012 – Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick in the Romanian Patriarchate. On this occasion, an exhibition of photographs will be organised displaying the most beautiful and representative frescoes, icons, miniatures, embroideries and weavings, mosaics and stained glass images reflecting the healings made by Jesus Christ, our Lord, the wonders of the saints healing the sick, social-philanthropic and medical settlements from the past and present of the Romanian Orthodox Church. A synthesis report on the activity of the eparchies during the homage year 2012 will be also presented.

The manifestations organised during the Homage Year of the Holy Unction and looking after the sick in the Romanian Patriarchate will be publicised by the Basilica Press Centre of the Romanian Patriarchate (Trinitas Radio, Trinitas Television, Lumina publications, Basilica News Agency, Press Office), church eparchial mass media and lay press.

The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church approved, within the church national frame programme, the drafting and publication by the Romanian Patriarchate of a book entitled “Social Philanthropic and Medical Assistance in the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Past and Present”, as well as of an album entitled “The Holy Unction and Looking After the Sick”, accompanied by a DVD.