Πατριαρχείον Ρουμανίας
The
Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church met on Monday, October 28,
2019, at the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence under the
chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
During the meeting, the Holy Synod resolved to declare the year 2021 as Solemn Year of the pastoral care of Romanians abroad and Commemorative Year of the reposed in the Lord; the liturgical and cultural value of cemeteries
in the Romanian Patriarchate. In this regard, the framework program
including theological-educational, cultural and media activities was
approved.
Several liturgical texts were approved including additional texts to
the service of Saint Kyriaki the Great Martyr (July 7), the akathist to
Saints Nicander and Marcian at Dorostolum (June 8), the service and
akathist to the Holy Martyrs Gordian, Macrobius, Elias, Zotikos, Lucian
and Valerian at Dobrudja (September 13), the service and akathist to Sts
Cyril, Kindeas and Tasius of Axiopolis (April 26). The Holy Synod
resolved to include these texts in the service books of the Romanian
Orthodox Church.
The Holy Synod took note of the proposal of the Metropolitan Synod of the Metropolis of Transylvania for the canonization of Father Arsenie Boca and the documentation submitted in this regard.
It was approved to forward this proposal to the Synodal Subcommittee
for the canonization of the Romanian Saints. This committee will invite
specialists from different fields of competence to write reports on the
canonization of Fr. Arsenie Boca based on their expertise in theology,
church painting and monastic discipline.
Furthermore, the reports of the permanent historians appointed by the
metropolises to research the documents of the National Council for
Studying the Securitate Archives (CNSAS) regarding the activity of
Father Arsenie Boca during the period 1945-1989 will also be evaluated.
Until a final decision will be made, the Holy Synod of the
Romanian Orthodox Church recommends to clerics and believers – whether
they support or oppose the canonization – to wait in prayer and patience
for the final result of the synodal subcommittee, avoiding both the
excesive idealization of the person of Father Arsenie Boca and his
denigration.
The canonization of Saints, being an arduous process, is not done in
haste or under momentary emotions, especially when it refers to persons
who have recently passed to the Lord, and the present testimonies about
them are contradictory.
In the perspective of the 2019 presidential elections and of the
local and parliamentary elections in 2020, the Holy Synod of the
Romanian Orthodox Church reaffirmed its principles regarding the
responsibility of clerics to maintain political neutrality during the
election period.
Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate