A historic visit to Romania by one of the most important spiritual leaders: from 21 to 27 September, the Alexandrion Foundation hosted a guest with extraordinary influence on interfaith communities. His Beatitude Youssef Absi, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch and All the East, visited Romania for the first time, at the invitation of the Alexandrion Foundation. During his stay in Romania, His Beatitude Absi visited representative Orthodox and Catholic places of worship and met with their leaders, held meetings with representatives of the Presidency and visited the production facilities of the Alexandrion Group. The Patriarch was accompanied on his visits and meetings by his delegation and by Mr. Nawaf Salameh, President and Founder of the Alexandrion Group and the Alexandrion Foundation.
His Beatitude Absi is a laureate of the Constantin Brâncoveanu Awards Gala 2020, at which the Alexandrion Foundation presented him with its honorary distinction.
The journey in Romania began with a visit to Ghighiu Monastery in Prahova County, where His Beatitude Absi prayed for world peace and for the repose of the souls of the departed before the wonder-working icon of the Virgin Mary inside the church. The icon was donated to Ghighiu Monastery in 1958 by Bishop Vasile Samaha of Sergiopolis, Syria.
On 22 September, His Beatitude Absi was a special guest at the Bishops’ Conference organised by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest at the Carmelite Monastery in Ciofliceni. There the Patriarch met with Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic bishops from Romania. During the conference, His Beatitude Absi presented the situation of Christians in the Middle East.
One of the important visits made by His Beatitude Absi during his stay in Romania was to the Romanian Patriarchate, where he met with His Grace Varlaam Ploieșteanul, Patriarchal Vicar Bishop. At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude Absi shared some impressions of his visit to our country, which he called a “pilgrimage visit”.
“I came to Romania at the invitation of one of our Christians, and I visited a few monasteries and churches, but what impressed me most was the faith of the Romanian people. The visit I made to the Romanian Patriarchate was an opportunity for me to get to know, even if only briefly, the Romanian Orthodox Church. I was able to see that the Romanian Orthodox Church cares not only for its own faithful, but also for those of other religious communities,” said His Beatitude Absi.
The Alexandrion Foundation presented His Beatitude Absi with its honorary distinction
A special day, of particular significance for the Alexandrion Foundation and for the history of the Constantin Brâncoveanu Awards Gala, was 24 September, when Mr. Nawaf Salameh handed His Beatitude Absi the distinction of the Alexandrion Foundation. The ceremony took place at the Romanian Academy, in the presence of the president of the Constantin Brâncoveanu Awards Gala, Academician Răzvan Theodorescu, and the members of the jury.
The Alexandrion Foundation granted this distinction to His Beatitude Absi at the 2020 gala, held online, for his extraordinary influence on interfaith communities and his exceptional aspiration to lead the Melkite Greek Catholic Church by example.
“I have always had a special admiration for Romania, for its culture, its tradition, its cultural and spiritual heritage, and I hope that in the future the relations between our churches and our countries will continue and grow stronger. There are cultural exchanges between our countries and religious exchanges between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and I believe that this tradition, which has existed since the time of my predecessors, must continue. For us, Romania is like an elder brother, and we are proud of this relationship. Mr. Nawaf Salameh, thank you once again for this honour,” said His Beatitude Absi at the award ceremony.
“The mission of the Alexandrion Foundation, and my own, is to honour the cultural heritage left by Constantin Brâncoveanu through awards that reward people with remarkable achievements, true values and sources of inspiration for all of us. This mission will continue both in Romania and abroad, with awards also being granted in the Middle East, where Constantin Brâncoveanu had an extraordinary influence. I believe that there are 2,000-year-old ties between the Romanian, Syrian and Lebanese peoples, and through the Alexandrion Foundation we will continue to contribute to strengthening these relations,” said Mr. Nawaf Salameh.
On the second day of his historic visit to Romania, His Beatitude Absi also visited the Alexandrion Group production facilities in Dealu Mare: the Alexandrion Saber 1789 Distilleries and The Iconic Estate Winery, where the team gave him detailed information about the history of the group, the production process, the distribution network and the awards won by the spirits and wines in its portfolio at international competitions.
High-level meeting at Cotroceni Palace
His Beatitude Absi and Mr. Nawaf Salameh held a high-level meeting at Cotroceni Palace with Sergiu Nistor, Presidential Advisor in the Culture, Religious Affairs and National Minorities Department, and with His Grace Mihai Frățilă, Eparchial Bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy “Saint Basil the Great” of Bucharest. During the meeting they discussed the situation of Christians in the Middle East, the long and close relationship between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and the large number of young people who come to study in Romania from the Middle East.
His Beatitude Absi concluded his visit to Romania by officiating the Sunday religious service at the Maronite Catholic Church of St. Charbel Makhluf in Bucharest.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is a “sui iuris” church, in communion with the Roman Catholic Church since 1724, and brings together approximately 2 million Melkite Greek Catholics, who speak Arabic. The Divine Liturgy of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church is celebrated according to the rite written by St. John Chrysostom in the three Patriarchates, Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem, and in the diaspora.
His Beatitude Youssef Absi, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch and All the East, was born in Damascus (Syria) on 20 June 1946. He studied philosophy and theology at the Paulist Fathers Seminary in Harissa (Lebanon). He holds degrees in theology and philosophy and a doctorate in musical sciences and Greek hymnology from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (Lebanon). On 6 May 1973 he was ordained a priest under the direction of the White Fathers in Gap (France). In 2001 he became a bishop and was appointed Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop in Raboueh (Lebanon), and from 2003 to 2017 he was Patriarchal Vicar for the Melkite Archeparchy of Damascus.
On 21 June 2017, His Beatitude Absi became Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch and All the East.
