Patriarch Daniel turns 70

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania celebrates his 70th birthday on Thursday.

He was born on 22 July 1951, to parents Alexe and Stela Ciobotea, in Dobreşti village, Bara commune, county of Timiş. He was baptised Dan-Ilie, informs Basilica.ro.

Education and professional experience

• 1958 – 1962 – he attends the primary school in his native village Dobreşti, county of Timiş;
• 1962 – 1966 – he attends the secondary school in Lăpuşnic locality, county of Timiş;
• 1966 – he begins the high school studies in Buziaş city, which he continues in Lugoj city, at “Coriolan Brediceanu” High School (1967 – 1970);
• 1970 – 1974 – he studies at the Orthodox University Theological Institute of Sibiu;
• 1974 – 1976 – he attends the doctorate courses at the Orthodox University Theological Institute of Bucharest, systematic section, under the supervision of Rev. Prof. Dr. Dumitru Stăniloae;
• 1976 – 1978 – he studies at the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the University of Humanistic Sciences of Strasbourg (France);
• 1978 – 1980 – he studies at the Faculty of Catholic Theology of the “Albert Ludwig” University of Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany);
• 15 June 1979 – maintains the doctorate thesis at the University of Strasbourg, entitled: Réflexion et vie chrétiennes aujourd’hui. Essai sur le rapport entre la théologie et la spiritualité (424 p).
• 31 October 1980 – an extended version of this thesis, prepared under the supervision of Rev. Prof. Dr. Dumitru Stăniloae, is maintained at the Orthodox University Theological Institute of Bucharest, with the title: Christian Theology and Spirituality. Relation between them and the present situation;
• 1980 – 1988 – lecturer at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Switzerland;
• 6 August 1987 – he joins the monastic life at Sihăstria Monastery, county of Neamţ, with the name of Daniel, Rev. Archimandrite Cleopa Ilie as monastic god father;
• 14 August 1987 – he is ordained hierodeacon, and hieromonk on 15 August 1987;
• 1988 – he is awarded protosingel and appointed patriarchal counsellor, director of the Department for “Contemporary Theology and Ecumenical Dialogue”;
• 1988 – he becomes Christian Mission senior lecturer at the Orthodox University Theology Institute of Bucharest;
• 12 February 1990 – elected Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Timişoara, with the title of Lugojanul, and on 4 March 1990 he is ordained hierarch at the Metropolitan Cathedral;
• 7 June 1990 – elected Archbishop of Iaşi and Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina;
• 1 July 1990 – enthroned Archbishop of Iaşi and Metropolitan of Moldova and Bucovina;
• 1992 – 2007 –Dogmatic and Pastoral Theology professor at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of “Dumitru Stăniloae” of Iaşi;
• 12 September 2007 – elected as Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea and Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church;
• 30 September 2007 – enthroned as Patriarch in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest;
• From 2007 he has been Pastoral Theology professor at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of “Patriarch Justinian” of Bucharest.