Patriarch Daniel of Romania turned 73

Patriarch Daniel of Romania has turned 73 on Monday, July 22.

The Patriarch has held Romania’s patriarchal see for 17 years, having over three decades of hierarchical experience. The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church is originally from the village of Dobrești, Timiș County. He was the third child in the family of teacher Alexie and Stela Ciobotea, born on July 22, 1951.

Patriarch Daniel’s Childhood

“We were used to working from a young age, but we also enjoyed the fruits of our labour,” recalls the Patriarch, who grew up during the Stalinist era when the peasants’ work was exploited, and religion was oppressed.
His father worked in the fields for three to four hours at dawn, then went to school at 8:00 AM, being the village teacher.

“From my mother, I received a living faith manifested through prayer and fasting, going to Church, and, especially from childhood, she taught us to go to monasteries, to attend feast days, and to go on pilgrimages, despite it being a difficult time.”

Young Dan-Ilie attended primary school in his native village, then went to middle school in the town of Lăpuşnic. He began high school in the town of Buziaş, continuing in the city of Lugoj, at Coriolan Brediceanu High School. Subsequently, he graduated from the Orthodox Theological University Institute in Sibiu.

Entry into Monastic Life

He completed doctoral studies in theology in Bucharest, under the guidance of Confessor Priest Saint Dumitru Stăniloae, and also in Strasbourg, under the mentorship of two renowned French professors. In 1987, the young Dan-Ilie Ciobotea entered monastic life with the name Daniel, having Saint Cleopas of Sihăstria as his monastic godfather.

Three years later, he was ordained as a bishop and served for a few months as the Vicar Bishop of the Archdiocese of Timișoara, and then, from June 7, 1990, he became the Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina. In Iași, he had numerous successful initiatives both pastorally and administratively, as well as academically. These include efforts to consolidate and restore the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași and the founding of the Providenţa Diagnostic and Treatment Center, which became the Church’s first hospital with a Ministry of Health-approved structure of 102 beds.

Seventeen Years as Patriarch

Since September 30, 2007, he has been the Patriarch of Romania. The nearly 17 years of his patriarchate have been years of prosperity for Romania, but also with many challenges for the Church: from healing many wounds suffered under the communist regime, to technological changes, confronting new emerging ideologies, and dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, military conflicts, and more.

The most well-known achievement of the current leader of the Romanian Church is the fulfillment of a long-standing Romanian dream: the National Cathedral, which was consecrated one hundred years after the Great Union.

Patriarch Daniel has paid special attention to predecessors, martyrs, and Romanian saints. During his patriarchate, over 40 Romanian saints have been canonized. The National Cathedral is dedicated to all national heroes, with Saint Andrew the Apostle, the Protector of Romania, as its patron.

Among the first initiatives in Bucharest was the establishment of the Basilica Media Centre. Additionally, Patriarch Daniel showed special care for Romanians in the Diaspora, for which reason, at the Patriarch’s proposal, the Holy Synod decided in 2009 to adopt a day dedicated to Romanian migrants.

The Patriarch has particularly encouraged social activity in these years, with the Romanian Orthodox Church becoming the largest philanthropist and overseeing over 800 philanthropic institutions.

73rd Birthday Celebration

To mark his 73rd birthday, a Te Deum service was celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral. Starting at 12:00 PM, a short anniversary moment took place at the Patriarchal Palace, during which congratulatory messages from central and local State authorities, as well as other public institutions, were presented.

The official celebration of Patriarch Daniel is on September 30 each year, the date of the Patriarch’s enthronement as the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Photo: Basilica.ro / Raluca-Emanuela Ene
Source: basilica.ro