Bishop Macarie mourns King Harald V, offers prayers for Norwegian people

Romanian Orthodox Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe offered his condolences to the Norwegian Royal Family on Friday after the repose of King Harald V.

The Romanian hierarch expressed his sorrow upon learning the news: “It was with profound sadness that I received the news of His Majesty’s passing from this life.”

“At this time of mourning, we extend our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the entire Norwegian people, assuring them of our unceasing prayers,” the Bishop of Northern Europe added.

Bishop Macarie concluded with a prayer for the late sovereign and those mourning him: “May God grant His Majesty’s soul eternal rest in peace and bring comfort to the grieving Norwegian people.”

King Harald V Born on 21 February 1937 at the royal residence of Skaugum, Harald was the son of King Olav V and Crown Princess Märtha. During the Second World War, the Norwegian Royal Family left the country following the German invasion. Harald, then three years old, travelled with his mother and sisters first to Sweden, then to the United States.

After returning to Norway in 1945, he studied in Oslo and at the Norwegian Military Academy before continuing his education at…