Romanian Patriarch Congratulates Newly Elected Pope Leo XIV

The head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniel, sent a congratulatory message to Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of his election to the Apostolic See. In his message, the Patriarch emphasized the importance of Christian unity amid today’s global challenges. The report was published by The Orthodox Times.

Patriarch Daniel highlighted that in times of spiritual, social, and economic turmoil, a united voice from Christian denominations is especially necessary to bring a message of hope, compassion, and solidarity to the world.

“Now more than ever, Christians must stand united to remind the world of love, mercy, and mutual support,” the Patriarch stated.

The message, sent to the Vatican, began with the traditional Paschal greeting: “Christ is Risen!” — as a sign of shared faith and spiritual connection between the Churches. The Romanian Church leader expressed confidence that the new Pope would continue the path of dialogue, peace, and understanding between Catholics and Orthodox.

Additionally, Patriarch Daniel expressed hope that Pope Leo XIV would continue to care for Romanian Orthodox faithful living in Western Europe, especially in Italy. He recalled that Popes Benedict XVI and Francis had shown pastoral care for the Romanian diaspora, and expressed his wish for this tradition to continue.

It was also previously reported that religious scholar and supporter of the OCU, Oleksandr Brodeckyi, called on Romanian-speaking parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to transfer to the OCU. According to him, a Romanian Vicariate has been established within the OCU, where the traditions of Bukovinian culture are preserved, and such a transition would be “an opportunity to cleanse themselves from the shame” of association with the UOC.