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“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
Your Beatitude,
It was with great sadness that we received the news of the falling asleep in the Lord of Archpriest Dr Daniel Buda. I write to express my sincere condolences as well as those of the fellowship of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Having served in the WCC as executive secretary of the Faith and Order Commission and coordinator of Church and Ecumenical Relations, Fr Buda was respected and beloved within the ecumenical movement.
He remains in the prayerful memory not only of the many WCC colleagues with whom he worked, but also of many other Christians across the globe as an inspired spiritual ecumenical enthusiast who committed himself to a common and prophetic voice of Christians in today’s world.
His testimony, his witness for Orthodoxy, and his ecumenical legacy will inspire generations of priests, theologians, and lay people.
More recently, as dean of the Orthodox Theological Faculty, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania, Fr Buda continued to inspire and educate younger generations of theologians with the same strong dedication and commitment.
Your brothers and sisters in Christ join you in thanking God for the life and witness of Fr Buda and his contribution to the church.
On behalf of the World Council of Churches, I extend our profound condolences to his family, the academic community, and to the entire Romanian Orthodox Church.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General Secretary
World Council of Churches
