Daniel (), born Dan Ilie Ciobotea (; born 22 July 1951), is the
Patriarch of the
Romanian Orthodox Church. The elections took place on 12 September 2007. Daniel won with a majority of 95 votes out of 161 against
Bartolomeu Anania Bartolomeu Anania (; March 18, 1921 – January 31, 2011), born Valeriu Anania (), was a Romanian Orthodox bishop, translator, writer, and poet. He was the Metropolitan of Cluj, Alba, Crișana and Maramureș.
Biography
Early life
Anania was bor ...
. He was officially enthroned on 30 September 2007 in the
Patriarchal Cathedral in
Bucharest. As such, his official title is "Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrogea, Locum tenens of the throne of Caesarea of Cappadocia, Patriarch of All Romania".
Biography
Daniel Ciobotea was born in the village of Dobrești,
Bara Commune,
Timiș County, as the third son in the family of teacher Alexie and Stela Ciobotea.
He followed the
Primary School in his home village (1958–1962) and the
Gymnasium in Lăpușnic village (1962–1966),
Timiș County. In 1966 he began the High School courses in
Buziaș, which he then continued in
Lugoj, at the "Coriolan Brediceanu"
High School (1967–1970).
After passing his Baccalaureate exam, he then joined the university-level Theological Institute in
Sibiu (1970–1974), where he obtained his degree in
Theology with specialisation in the
New Testament.
During the period 1974–1976 he followed the doctoral courses at the Theological Institute in
Bucharest, Systematic Theology Section, under the supervision of
Dumitru Stăniloae; he continued his studies abroad: two years at the Protestant Theology Faculty of the
University of Human Studies in
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
and another two years at the
Albert Ludwig University
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Albert C ...
in
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...
, Catholic Theology Faculty.
His studies abroad prompted critics to argue that he collaborated with the
Securitate, because during the rule of communist president
Nicolae Ceauşescu, travelling and studying outside the
Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
was almost impossible for those who did not send informative notes to the Securitate.
Mircea Dinescu of the
CNSAS, however, said that his Securitate file was burnt in December 1989 and as such, it cannot be known whether he collaborated with it or not.
On 15 June 1979 he defended a Doctoral Dissertation at the Protestant Theology Faculty in
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, entitled: "Réflexion et vie chrétiennes aujourd'hui. Essai sur le rapport entre la théologie et la spiritualité, 424 pp." (''Christian reflection and life today. Essay on the relationship between theology and spirituality, 424 pp'') The dissertation was prepared under the supervision of two well-known French professors:
Gerard Ziegwald and André Benoit and it received high praise. Thus he becomes
Doctor of the
Strasbourg University
The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers.
The French university traces its history to the ea ...
.
A more developed version of his doctoral dissertation was prepared under the guidance of his mentor,
Dumitru Stăniloae and it was successfully defended on 31 October 1980 at the Orthodox Theological Institute in Bucharest under the title: "Teologie și spiritualitate creștină. Raportul dintre ele și situația actuală" (''Theology and Christian spirituality. The relationship between them and the current situation'').
Between 1980 and 1986, Dan Ilie Ciobotea served as lecturer at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland, while from 1986 to 1988 he acted as the institute's Adjunct Director.
In 1987, he entered the
monastic life in the
Sihăstria Monastery Sihăstria may refer to:
* Sihăstria, a tributary of the Negrișoara in Suceava County, Romania
* Sihăstrie, a tributary of the Vorona
''Vorona'' ( ; Malagasy for "bird", ''V. berivotrensis'', "from Berivotra") is a monotypic genus of prehi ...
in Romania and took the name Monk Daniel, having as his "monastic godfather" the well-known spiritual Archimandrite
Cleopa Ilie
Father Cleopa Ilie (; 10 April 1912 – 2 December 1998) was an abbot of the Sihăstria Monastery. He was a well-known spiritual representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Biography
Cleopa Ilie (lay name: Constantin) was born in Sulița, ...
.
In 1992, he started teaching Theology at the Dumitru Staniloae Faculty of Orthodox Theology in the Al. I Cuza University in Iași.
Between 1 September 1988 – 1 March 1990, he was patriarchal counsellor and director of the Contemporary Theology and Ecumenical Dialogue Section in the Romanian Patriarchate.
In early 1990, he belonged to the short-lived Group for Reflection on Church Renewal where ironically he shared the same views for church reform with
Bartolomeu Anania Bartolomeu Anania (; March 18, 1921 – January 31, 2011), born Valeriu Anania (), was a Romanian Orthodox bishop, translator, writer, and poet. He was the Metropolitan of Cluj, Alba, Crișana and Maramureș.
Biography
Early life
Anania was bor ...
, who would become his rival in the race for patriarch in 2007.
In March 1990, Daniel was ordained as suffragan bishop of the Archbishopric of Timișoara. Three months later, in June 1990, he was appointed Metropolitan of Moldova and Bukovina.
He founded the influential Radio Trinitas in 1998. Daniel has also been questioned when using a paint-roller dipped in Holy Oil to bless new Radio and Television stations.
Between 5–8 October 2005, the
Metropolitanate of Moldova and Bukovina co-organised with the Centre for Post-communist Studies (Canada, directed by Dr. Lavinia Stan and Dr. Lucian Turcescu) a prestigious international symposium o
Church and State in Post-communist Eastern Europe
On 12 September 2007, he was elected to take the lead of the
Romanian Orthodox Church, after leading in all three rounds, ahead of the other candidates (
Bartolomeu Anania Bartolomeu Anania (; March 18, 1921 – January 31, 2011), born Valeriu Anania (), was a Romanian Orthodox bishop, translator, writer, and poet. He was the Metropolitan of Cluj, Alba, Crișana and Maramureș.
Biography
Early life
Anania was bor ...
, Metropolitan of
Cluj and Ioan Selejean, Bishop of
Covasna
Covasna (, hu, Kovászna, , german: Kowasna) is a town in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania, at an altitude of . It is known for its natural mineral waters and mofettas.
The town administers one village, Chiuruș ( hu, Csomakőrös). The ...
and
Harghita).
Although appreciated for his intellectual skills and diplomacy, Daniel is regarded as a renovationist by traditionalists who accuse him of supporting
ecumenism
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
(considered a "heresy of our times"), and of planning to forcibly unite the Romanian Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church, although he refuted the first allegation in a public statement.
Offices and honours
* 1980–1988 – ''Lector'' at the ''Ecumenical Institute in
Bossey'',
Geneva and ''associate professor'' in
Geneva and
Fribourg,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
;
* 1988 – ''Patriarchal Counselor'', Director of the ''Sector of Contemporary Theology and Ecumenical Dialogue'';
* 1988 – Conferent at the ''Catheder of Christian Mission of the Ecumenical Institute in Bucharest'';
* 1990 (March) – elected and ordained Vicarius Bishop of the ''Archbishopric of Timișоаra'';
* 1990 (June) – elected as Archbishop of
Iași
Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
and ''Metropolitan of Moldova and Bukovina'';
* since 1992 – Theology professor at the ''Orthodox Theology Faculty "Dumitru Stăniloae"'' of the ''"Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University in Iași'';
* Representative of the ''National Synodal Commission for Religious Education'' Bucharest;
* President of the ''Theology and Liturgics Commission of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church''
* Honorary Member of the ''National Commission for Historical Monuments'' Bucharest;
* Member of the ''Central and Executive Committee of the Ecumenical Council of Churches'' (
Geneva, 1991–1998);
* Member of the ''Presidium of Superior and Central Committee of the European Church Conference'' (since 1990);
* Vicepresident of the ''Second General Meeting of the European Churches Conference'' (
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
, 1997);
* Full Member of the ''International Academy of Religious Sciences'' in
Brussels (2000).
* Honorary citizen of the city of
Negrești-Oaș.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel of Romania
Patriarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church
People from Timiș County
1951 births
Living people
Recipients of the Order of the Republic (Moldova)
Honorary members of the Romanian Academy
Clergy from Bucharest
Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class