His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch arrived tonight in Bucharest, around 16.30 hours at “Henri Coanda” Airport, where His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church met him.

The two delegations arrived at the Patriarchal Cathedral at 17.05 and 17.10 hours where a Te Deum was celebrated. To end with the religious service, the Patriarch of Romania addressed a welcome speech to His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, whose visit is occasioned by the feast of the Protector of Bucharest, Saint Dimitrie the New.

“God blessed us these days to reach the climax of the festivity of the Homage Year dedicated to the Nicene – Constantinople Creed and to the Autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church”, said the Patriarch of Romania, speaking about the events celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest during this period: “These days we had one more special blessing, namely the Venerated Wood of the Holy Life Giving Cross of the Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, was brought from the Metropolitan See of Drama, Greece, so that it is here for worship, besides the relics of Saints Constantine and Helen, Protectors of this Cathedral, and the relics of Saint Pious Dimitrie the New of Basarabi, also Protector of the Patriarchal Cathedral and of the city of Bucharest. It is a holy mysterious connection between all these events”.

His Beatitude also spoke about the discovery of the Holy Cross by Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen, and finally, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church thanked His Holiness for his presence in Bucharest on the occasion of the feast of Saint Dimitrie the New, in the year when the Orthodox Creed and the Autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church are celebrated: “We also want to underline the fact that not only the Orthodox Creed, but also the second element of the celebration of the Homage Year is related to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, namely the recognition, in 1885, of the Autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Either we talk about the Orthodox Creed or of the Autocephaly of our Church they are both related to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This is why we were very glad to have Your Holiness here present these days, as thanksgiving to God for the preservation of the right faith, for the veneration of the Holy Cross and for the recognition showed to God and to the people who made the Autocephaly recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople be fruitful, be a freedom in responsibility not freedom in isolation.

Then, His Holiness Bartholomew thanked His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and delivered a welcome speech too, in which he expressed his joy for this visit: “We warmly thank for the words animated by distinguished feelings full of love expressed in Your Beatitude’s speech! We know the good feelings that Your Beatitude have for our person and for the Ecumenical Patriarchate too. We assure you that our person is overwhelmed by the same feelings for the person of Your Beatitude, for the Holy Church of Christ of Romania and for the Romanian righteous people.

We have come at the invitation Your Beatitude were so kind to extend us, to celebrate on one hand the anniversary of 1683 years since the meeting of the Ecumenical Synod I of Nicene, and on the other hand the anniversary of the autocephaly of the Romanian Church. We bring you from Constantinople the embrace and blessings of the Mother Church who is glad and proud when she sees the Church of Romania, her former daughter, and now beloved sister, is going ahead and grows in divinity.

Christ is amid us! May the power of His mercy cover always Romania!, said His Holiness.