Ecumenical Prayer
ECUMENICAL PRAYER
This program consisted by three activities: the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (58 EF 8), the World Day of Prayer (58 EF 9) and preparatory work for the Solemn Day of Prayer (2008). Through its specific projects AIDRom edited and printed materials for these ecumenical prayer events and promoted them by consultations and preparatory work (Bucharest, 13.1.2008, 1.3.2008 and 17.12.2008 in the AIDRom Conference Center).
The activities of ecumenical prayer are done according to the overall objective of the department to multiply and deepen the events of ecumenical prayer. Indirectly the specific objective of a better awareness of Christian values is also touched.
The Association of Churches in Romania-AIDRom adapted the booklet for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for local distribution and delivered it in dioceses. A specific part, with the addresses of church leaders was enhanced this year to six church leaders. The second part contains the biblical texts, prayers and reflections, translated from the jointly prepared booklet by the Pontifical Council for Promotion of Christian Unity and by the „Faith and Order” Commission of the Ecumenical Council of Churches. The theme was this year a specific one, conveying two invitations: to strive together for Christian unity and to join together in responding to human suffering: “Pray without ceasing”, 1 Thes 5, 13-18. AIDRom translated the WCC proposed material for 2008, with the specific themes for all eight days, edited the trilingual text (Romanian, Hungarian and German), supervised the printing of the booklet and the distribution the booklet. In comparison with the English version, AIDRom added in 2008, the addresses of seven church leaders.
Besides Bucharest, where His Beatitude patriarch Daniel and Archbishop Ioan Robu blessed the event (18-25 January 2008), the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was well received in towns with a multi-confessional tradition like Iasi, Bacau Brasov, Timisoara, Resita, Cluj and Oradea.
For the local organizing of 2008, AIDRom organized a consultation on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which was held in AIDRom’s Conference Center on the 13.o1.2008 and 17.12.2008. AIDRom staff also highlighted the event in presentations in “The Religious Life”, „Lumina” newspaper‚ besides other current news related to this prayer event in the country. TVRM presented the event in news reports and in an ecumenical discussion forum.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009 (18-25.01.2009)
The main activity related to this ecumenical prayer event was to translate and edit into Romanian, Hungarian and German the WCC proposed material (jointly prepared and published by the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches) for 2009, on a specific theme: That they may become one in your hand (Ezek 37: 17). In the context of national worldwide division, the Churches have turned this time for inspiration to the prophet Ezekiel, who also lived in a tragically divided nation and longed for the unity of his people.
AIDRom also supervised the printing of the booklet and the distribution the booklets and posters. In comparison with the English version, AIDRom added in 2009, the addresses of six church leaders.
A. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Bucharest
In Bucharest, the Week started this year in the Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral “Saint Emperors Constantine and Helen”. Thus, on the 18th of January, in the presence of His Beatitude Daniel, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and of His Eminence Ioan Robu, the Roman-Catholic Archbishop and Metropolitan of Bucharest an opening service was celebrated together with the Vesper of the day. Among the guests who prayed for Christian Unity on this occasion, there were diplomats, theologians, monks, nuns, students from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology and undergraduates from Theological Seminary of Bucharest. There were four addresses: one on the significance of this ecumenical prayer event, held by the Lutheran vicar of Bucharest, Dr. Daniel Zikely, the second of Fr. Radu Krikor Holca from the Armenian Church, emphasizing the peaceful co-existence and interchurch help in Moldova. Then Archbishop Ioan Robu and, in the end, of His Beatitude Daniel spoke about the fact that all the Christian world received a mandate for this prayer for unity from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and that such meetings are very relevant in a time when theological dialogue is not so pregnant as it used to be. In the following days the services were hosted by the Armenian Church, the Lutheran Church, the Calvineum and the Greek-Catholic Church. The last two days were held in the Lutheran Church and in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Joseph and in the Anglican Church with the speeches of the other representatives. For the time being, the Orthodox delegates were just assisting the services and did not celebrate with the others, according to a recent decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church (decision no. 6745/29 October 2008), a fact noticed with a certain regret in some of the final speeches. Unanimously, the leaders of the Christian denominations of Bucharest appreciated the need to continue the prayer for unity, in the spirit of Christian brotherhood, emphasizing the need to point out the educational role of this manifestation, as an expression of the practical ecumenism based on cooperation in the social charitable field (ora et labora).
AIDRom organized two preparatory meetings (Bucharest, 17.12.2008 and 08.01.2009) and the Bucharest program remained with multiplying effect, so that this paten may be used as orientation by other localities in the country and abroad, where the Orthodox Romanians are accustomed to dialogue and ecumenical cooperation.
B. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Iasi
The Week of Prayer for Christian unity (18-25 January 2009) started this year in Iaşi at the Orthodox Faculty of Iaşi and continued on the next day having as guest the Roman Catholic Church. Ecumenical meetings also took place in Roman, Bacău, Oneşti, Huşi, and other cities in Moldova.
C. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Resita
In the city of ReÅŸiÅ£a, county of CaraÅŸ – Severin (South – West of Romania, about 500 km far from Bucharest), the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity took place in the following places of worship: the Orthodox Cathedral of the old city, the Evangelical church, Roman-Catholic church of the “Holy Trinity” Govândari, the Greek-Catholic church, the Reformed church, the Orthodox Serbian Church, the Orthodox Cathedral of Govânari, the Roman Catholic church of “Mary of the Snow”.
D. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in other cities
There were prayers for unity held in Sibiu, Cluj, Constanta and Tulcea in the presence of most of the Christian denominations. AIDRom could not receive all reporting in the recent days since it is a very short time from the final of the octave.
