Orthodox universalism and patriotism according to the views of Archpriest Dumitru Stăniloae

Abstract

In his articles, the outstanding Romanian theologian of the 20th c. does not oppose, but unites Christian universalism and love for the Motherland. According to the views of Fr. Dumitru Staniloe, the universalism of Christianity is a symphonic universalism of peoples serving God, Who loves all humanity in the person of different peoples. God sent His Son into the world and gave Him to die for the salvation of all people from different nations. Without departing from this universalism of the brotherhood of peoples, Romanian Orthodoxy, like the Orthodoxy of other peoples, has special reasons to be tied to the Motherland, in which it works for the salvation of the children of the Romanian people. For the Romanian Orthodoxy, the Motherland is not only the land left to us by the “fathers,” but also the land in which the “fathers” are always alive. As a result, Fr. Dumitru speaks of a global call for unity in love, because only in the infinity of love and light, personal and national identities supported by the Motherland do not mix, but their community in love is emphasized, and through this they become as transparent as possible. Thus, it can be said that the moral theology of Fr. Dumitru Staniloye is based on deep Christian roots and ontological, existential and metaphysical intuitions.