Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi hopes the Italian government will recognise the Romanian Orthodox Bishopric early next year and Pope Benedict XVI will visit Romania in the near future. The head of Romanian diplomacy and the Apostolic Nuncio to Romania, Archbishop Francisco-Javier Lozano, attended yesterday an anniversary session that celebrated 90 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and the Holy Seat. On this occasion Teodor Baconschi emphasised the importance of the relation between Romania and the Holy Seat, because of several reasons also related to the existence of a large Romanian community in Italy. “Without the Pope’s visit and without the capacity of the only Orthodox Church of Latin language and culture to open for an ecumenical, brotherly and honest dialogue with the Catholic world, the Romanians living in Italy would not have enjoyed, today, the very generous liturgical hospitality provided by the Catholic Church and, naturally, the Italian Episcopal Conference,” the Foreign ministers stated. (Agerpres)
