Τήν Παρασκευήν, 17ην / 30ήν Νοεμβρίου 2018, ἔλαβε χώραν τό Πατριαρχικόν Συλλείτουργον ἐπί τῇ μνήμῃ τοῦ ἁγίου ἀποστόλου Ἀνδρέου τοῦ Πρωτοκλήτου (ν.ἑ.) εἰς τόν νεόδμητον μεγαλοπρεπῆ αὐτοῦ ναόν ᾠκοδομημένον ἐμπνεύσει καί πρωτοβουλίᾳ καί καθοδηγήσει καί ἐπιμελείᾳ τοῦ Μακαριωτάτου Πατριάρχου Ρουμανίας κ. Δανιήλ καί προσφορᾷ τοῦ Ρουμανικοῦ λαοῦ εἰς τό κέντρον τοῦ Βουκουρεστίου.
Τοῦ Συλλειτούργου τούτου προεξῆρξεν ἡ Α.Θ.Μ. ὁ Πατήρ ἡμῶν καί Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων κ.κ. Θεοφίλος, συλλειτουργούντων τοῦ Μακαριωτάτου Πατριάρχου Ρουμανίας κ. Δανιήλ καί τῶν Σεβασμιωτάτων Ἀρχιεπισκόπων Κωνσταντίνης κ. Ἀριστάρχου Γέροντος Ἀρχιγραμματέως καί Κυριακουπόλεως κ. Χριστοφόρου Πατριαρχικοῦ Ἐπιτρόπου ἐν Ἀμμάν τῆς Ἰορδανίας, ἑκατοντάδων ἱερέων καί διακόνων, ψαλλούσης τῆς χορῳδίας τοῦ ἱεροῦ Ναοῦ καί μετέχοντος πυκνοῦ ἐκκλησιάσματος ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ καί ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ παρά τό δριμύ ψῦχος, χιονοπτώσεως προηγηθείσης.
Μετά τό Συλλείτουργον ἐκήρυξε τόν θεῖον λόγον ὁ Μακαριώτατος ἑλληνιστί ὡς ἕπεται:
«Your Beatitude Dear Patriarch Daniel,
Your Excellency Mr. President
Your Eminences,
Your Graces,
Respected Governmental and Civic Leaders,
Honoured Guests,
Reverend Fathers,
Beloved Monastics,
Sisters and Brothers,
We give thanks to Our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Apostle Andrew that we are among you once again, and that we have been given the opportunity in this Divine Liturgy to give sacramental expression to our unity.
The Church of Jerusalem has had a long and special relationship with the Church of Romania. The relationship has been made manifest in many ways over the years, and finds its expression in our time both in the presence of your Metochion in the Holy City of Jerusalem, as well as in the witness of the many thousands of Romanian pilgrims who come to the Holy Land every year to receive the blessings of the spiritual nourishment of the Holy Places.
The Romanian Church is the spiritual guardian of the Romanian people, and it is fitting that this national Cathedral will be known as “The People’s Salvation Cathedral”, a compelling reminder to all of the life-giving mission of the Church in our world.
In celebration of the important relationship between our two Sister Churches, and between the people of Romania and the Christians of the Holy Land, we wish to present to you, Your Beatitude, this icon of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Μάϊος Saint Andrew the First-called, whose feast we keep today, and who also comes from the Holy Land, be your strength and protection , especially in our own day, when the Church is called to be a strong united witness.
And may God grant you many years in your primatial ministry».
Εἰς τό τέλος τῆς θείας Λειτουργίας κατά τήν ὥραν ἀνταλλαγῆς τῶν δώρων, τουτέστιν εἰκόνος τῆς Γεννήσεως τῆς Θεοτόκου παρά τοῦ Πατριάρχου Ἱεροσολύμων καί εἰκόνος ἐν ψηφιδωτῷ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Ἀνδρέου παρά τοῦ Πατριάρχου Ρουμανίας, ὁ Μακαριώτατος Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων προσεφώνησε ἐν συντομίᾳ ὡς ἕπεται:
«Your Beatitude, dear Patriarch Daniel,
Your Eminences,
Your Graces,
Respected Governmental and Civil Leaders,
Honoured Guests,
Reverend Fathers,
As we celebrate the consecration and inauguration of the great National Cathedral with you, dear Patriarch Daniel, the Church of Jerusalem, which is the Mother of all the Churches rejoices with our Sister Church of Romania and all the people of this land. We are happy to be here again at your kind and fraternal invitation.
Our greatest joy is to bring with us the blessings of the Holy City of Jerusalem and of the Holy Land, and to assure you, Your Beatitude, of the prayers of the Christians of the Holy Land. Μάϊος the blessings of the Holy Places, which are the tangible signs of our sacred history, be an encouragement to you and to the Romanian people.
The Romanian Church is the spiritual guardian of the Romanian people, and the new National Cathedral which is appropriately known as “The People’s Salvation Cathedral” is a visible expression of this important and providential role of the Church. You have brought to fruition at last a long-held dream for a national cathedral, which was first expressed after Romania gained its independence in 1877, and the presence of the cathedral in the heart of the capital city, near the Parliament, is a testimony to the fact that the Church must be at the heart of the nation.
We hope and pray that the Church in this land may continue to fulfil its spiritual mission to the Romanian people, and be a sign of hope and inspiration at this critical time of human history.
We take this opportunity to thank you, Your Beatitude, for your gracious hospitality to us, and we also wish to thank all those who have made this celebration possible. We also acknowledge all the civic and governmental officials who supported this project during the building of this great cathedral.
Μάϊος God bless you, Your Beatitude, in your primatial ministry, and may God grant abundant fruit to the mission of the Church in this land, to God’s glory, and to the well-being and spiritual nurture of all the people of our beloved Romania.
And so we wish to raise our glass in a toast to you, Your Beatitude, and wish you many years.
Thank you».
Τήν μεσημβρίαν παρετέθη ἐπίσημος ἑόρτιος τράπεζα.
Τό ἑσπέρας τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας Παρασκευῆς, 17ης / 30ῆς Νοεμβρίου 2018, ἡ Α.Θ.Μ. ὁ Πατήρ ἡμῶν καί Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων κ.κ. Θεόφιλος, συνοδευόμενος ὑπό τοῦ Μακαριωτάτου Πατριάρχου Ρουμανίας κ. Δανιήλ μετέβη ἐκ Βουκουρεστίου ἀεροπορικῶς πρῶτον καί κατόπιν ὁδικῶς εἰς τήν πόλιν Alba Julia. Εἰς τήν πόλιν ταύτην πρό 100ετίας ἀνεκηρύχθη ἡ ἕνωσις τῆς Τρανσυλβανίας, Βεσσαραβίας καί Βουκοβίνης μετά τῆς Ρουμανίας εἰς μίαν ἑνιαίαν χώραν. Τό ἱστορικόν γεγονός τοῦτο διά τήν ἑνότητα καί τήν εἰρήνην τοῦ Ρουμανικοῦ λαοῦ ἑωρτάσθη διά ποικίλων λαμπρῶν ἐκδηλώσεων ἐπί τῇ 100ῇ ἐπετείῳ αὐτοῦ.
Ἅμα τῇ ἀφίξει ὁ Μακαριώτατος Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων κ.κ. Θεόφιλος καί ὁ Μακαριώτατος Πατριάρχης Ρουμανίας κ.κ. Δανιήλ ἐγένοντο δεκτοί ὑπό τοῦ οἰκείου Μητροπολίτου Τρανσυλβανίας κ. Λαυρεντίου καί τοῦ Ἀρχιεπισκόπου τῆς Alba Julia. κ. Εἰρηναίου διατελέσαντος ἀντιπροσώπου τοῦ Πατριαρχείου Ρουμανίας εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ὑπό πολλῶν Ἱεραρχῶν, ἑκατοντάδων ἱερέων ἐνδεδυμένων καί πλήθους εὐσεβοῦς λαοῦ συνωστιζομένου, ἵνα λάβῃ τήν εὐλογίαν τοῦ Παναγίου Τάφου ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ Μακαριωτάτου.
Ἡ ὑποδοχή ἐγένετο εἰς τόν καθεδρικόν Ναόν τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, μαρτυροῦσα τήν εὐσέβειαν τοῦ Ρουμανικοῦ λαοῦ καί τήν ἀφοσίωσιν αὐτοῦ εἰς τήν πατροπαράδοτον πίστιν αὐτοῦ.
Ἀδύνατον θά ἦτο νά μείνῃ ἀσυγκίνητος καί ἡ σκληροτέρα ψυχή ἐκ τῶν ἐκδηλώσεων πίστεως, εὐλαβείας, χαρᾶς καί ἀγαλλιάσεως τοῦ συμμετέχοντος εἰς τήν ὑποδοχήν εὐσεβοῦς λαοῦ τῆς Alba Julia.
Τό ἑσπέρας αἱ Πατριαρχικαί συνοδεῖαι παρεκάθισαν εἰς τράπεζαν καί ὁ Μακαριώτατος Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπέδωσεν ὡς δῶρον εἰς τόν Ἀρχιεπίσκοπον Τρανσυλβανίας κ. Εἰρηναῖον εἰκόνα τῆς Γεννήσεως τῆς Θεοτόκου.
