Tuesday, 11 February 2014, the annual working session of the Church National Council of the Romanian Orthodox Church was held at the Patriarchal Residence under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania.
To start with, His Beatitude made a brief presentation of the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2013.
“The interior and external activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2013, proclaimed as Solemn year of the Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen and commemorative year of Father Dumitru Staniloae is summed up and presented from a pastoral liturgical, cultural missionary and social philanthropic point of view. Here are some of the important events in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2013 from a liturgical point of view: manifestations within the solemn year of Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen and commemorative year of Fr Dumitru Staniloae organised at the Romanian Patriarchate and in all the eparchies in the country and abroad; declaration by the Holy Synod of the year 2015 as solemn year of the parish and monastery mission today; development at the level of all church units of the European civil initiative entitled One of Us designed to raise the level of juridical protection in the European Union of the dignity, right to life and integrity of the human being ever since the time of conception; manifestations organised by the Romanian Patriarchate and Romanian Academy at the Patriarchate Palace on the occasion of the anniversary of 154 years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities; session of scientific communications organised both by the Romanian Patriarchate and by the Romanian Academy to mark 150 years since the bill for the secularisation of the monastic estates was voted”, His Beatitude said.
The members of the Church National Council analysed the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2013 in regard to the pastoral – missionary and social – philanthropic work, the monastic life, theological education and teaching of religion in public schools, the printing editorial activity and mass media, church cultural patrimony, construction of new places of worship, relations with other religious cults, care for the Romanian Orthodox communities from abroad, inter-church and inter-religious relations etc.
The Church National Council is the central executive body of the Holy Synod and of the Church National Assembly made up of 12 members of the Church National Assembly, one clergy and one laic representing each Metropolitanate of the country, assigned for 4 years tine and for two mandates at last.
