Bucharest, May 9 /Agerpres/ – The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, on Thursday sent a congratulatory message to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, in which he expresses his full conviction that the new Sovereign Pontiff will continue to promote “the spirit of dialogue, peace and cooperation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.”

“We are fully convinced that Your Holiness will continue to promote the spirit of dialogue, peace and cooperation between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. In a world facing multiple spiritual, economic and social crises, the united voice of Christians is more necessary than ever to offer a message of hope, solidarity and love,” Patriarch Daniel said.

At the same time, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church expressed his hope that the Pope will continue to support the Romanian Orthodox faithful who live in large numbers in various countries in Western Europe, especially in Italy, as His Holiness’ predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, did “constantly.”         On Thursday evening, the American Robert Francis Prevost, aged 69, became the first pope in history to be originally from the United States. He also has Peruvian citizenship, which he obtained in 2015, after spending a large part of his religious life in the Andean country. The new Sovereign Pontiff chose his pontifical name of Leo XIV.