Patriarch Daniel at meeting with Moscow's Patriarch Kirill: Church of Christ cannot be destroyed

The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR), Daniel met Sunday with Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and Entire Russia, an occasion for the BOR head to stress that "the Church of Christ cannot be destroyed, even if it is crucified, because it carries in itself the mystery or sacred power of the resurrection." 

The meeting took place in the Throne Hall at the "Danilovski" Residence and was occasioned by the visit to Moscow of a BOR delegation for the celebrations dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of the patriarchate institution in the Russian Orthodox Church, informs the Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate, in a press release issued for AGERPRES. 

"His Beatitude Daniel thanked the Patriarch of Russia for the meeting, brotherhood and hospitality, expressing the importance of participating in this event, in which the suffering endured during the communist persecution by the Russian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox Churches was remembered. At the same time, His Beatitude remarked, one may notice how these Churches passed from crucifixion to resurrection, especially in Russia, from a persecuted Church to a living, thriving Church. In conclusion, the Church of Christ cannot be destroyed, even if it is crucified," the quoted source informs. 

Patriarch Daniel also brought into discussion the contemporary problem of secularization, "which proposes the organization of individual and social life as if God did not exist." "Also, an equally important problem related to secularization is the spiritual crisis of the contemporary family," the release reads. 

According to the quoted source, Patriarch Kirill expressed his joy to receive Patriarch Daniel at the Danilovski Monastery, the oldest monastic place in Moscow, thanking him for participating in the centennial event and the opportunity offered to discuss current issues for both Churches. 

"The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church reminded the difficult church-related situation in Ukraine and underscored the unity of the canonical Orthodox Church's bishopric in this country despite many pressures" and "remarked that the participation of His Beatitude Daniel in this centennial event of the restoration of the Russian Patriarchate shows that the two Churches are together and in times of suffering and joy," the communiqué also read. 

Patriarch Daniel is in Moscow December 2 to 5 on the occasion of the celebrations organized for the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church. 

On December 4, when it is 100 years after the enthroning of Saint Tikhon, the first Russian patriarch after 1700, when Tsar Peter the Great reformed the Russian Orthodox Church, the representatives of the local Orthodox Churches will concelebrate the Divine Liturgy.