Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said on Monday that the Holy Military Martyrs demonstrate, through the example of their lives, that the Army and the Church share common values.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel attended the proclamation of the Feast of the Synaxis of the Holy Military Martyrs on Monday, at the outdoor altar of the Patriarchal Cathedral, following the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishops Varlaam Ploiesteanul and Paisie Sinaitul, and His Grace Timotei Prahoveanul, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.

'The Holy Military Martyrs, some ordinary soldiers and others high-ranking officers in their time, have demonstrated down the centuries, through the example of their lives, that the Army and the Church share common values: the courage to profess the true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, love for one's neighbour, one's country and one's people, and a spirit of self-sacrifice, even unto death. Today, the radiant figures of the military martyrs adorn the approximately 150 military churches and chapels built within military units and facilities across Romania,' the Patriarch said.

The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church stressed that, throughout the history of the Romanian people, 'nothing has been handed to us as a gift by other peoples; victory has been achieved through the sacrifice of Romanians and through the grace of their faith in Christ, the Crucified and Risen One.'

'For this reason, the National Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Romanian People, is dedicated first to the Ascension of the Lord — Heroes' Day. Its second patronal feast is that of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the Patron Saint of Romania. As a symbol of this bond between sacrificial love and apostolic faith, on the evening of November 24, 2018, one day before the consecration of the altar of the National Cathedral, I personally placed a large package containing several lists, with hundreds of thousands of names of Romanian heroes supplied to us by the Ministry of National Defence, inside the base of the Holy Table in the altar. This was so that the heroes of the Romanian people would always be commemorated in the cathedral dedicated to them - the Cathedral of the Salvation, or Victory, of the Romanian People, also known as the National Cathedral. In addition, of the six bells in this National Cathedral, the largest, weighing 25 tonnes, is dedicated to commemorating Romanian heroes of all eras. Thus, the bell dedicated to Romanian heroes in the National Cathedral is currently the largest European bell with a swinging mechanism,' the Patriarch said.

Throughout Romanian history, the Church and the Army have always been two fundamental national institutions, bound together in harmony, Patriarch Daniel said.

'Both institutions have served the Romanian people with great devotion through the many hardships of the times. The chronicles and historical records documenting the Romanian people's sacrifices also recount how priests stood alongside Romanian soldiers in every battle our people had to fight to defend their homeland and ancestral Orthodox faith, as well as to gain independence and national unity. Military chaplains constitute a distinct corps within the military personnel, serving as a link between the Romanian people's two fundamental institutions, the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian Army,' Patriarch Daniel said.

The Patriarch said it was 'necessary and beneficial today for military chaplains to continue, with spiritual grace, honour and dedication, the sacred tradition of providing religious support within the Romanian Army.'

'A strong army is defined by commanders and soldiers who are well trained in military science, but who are also strengthened morally and spiritually through the pastoral work of military chaplains. We pray to God, through the intercession of the Holy Military Martyrs, as well as of Saints Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena, Saint Nectarios of Aegina, Saint Pious Dimitrie the New and Saint Pious Elisabeth of Pasarea Monastery, to pour His grace of peace over today's world, troubled by many conflicts, and to grant us all health and abundant help in every good deed,' the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church concluded.

***

The Romanian Orthodox Church celebrated the Synaxis of the Holy Military Martyrs for the first time on Monday. As part of the liturgical programme for the feast of Saint Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-Streamer, the proclamation of the new feast took place at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.

The new feast honours saints who professed the Christian faith while serving in the military and suffered martyrdom.

The joint commemoration was established by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church at the proposal of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. The decision also approved the liturgical texts specific to the feast.

October 26 was chosen as the date, coinciding with the feast of Saint Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-Streamer, regarded as the first among the saints commemorated in this synaxis.

The group includes 20 military martyrs, among them Saint Great Martyr George the Victory-Bearer, Saint Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Martyr Longinus the Centurion, Saint Great Martyr Procopius, and Saints Great Martyrs Theodore Tyro and Theodore Stratelates.

The commemoration also includes Daco-Roman martyrs from the first centuries of Christianity, among them Saints Julius the Veteran, Hesychius, Dasius and Great Martyr Nicetas.

A similar feast exists in the Ecumenical Patriarchate, where the Holy and Great Synod of the Church of Constantinople approved the establishment of the Synaxis of the Holy Military Saints in 2019, to be celebrated on July 8. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)