Letter of His Beatitude Lucian to the Romanian Church
Reg. No. 143/09
Blaj, January 31st, 2009
To the Clergy, Faithful
And all our brothers and sisters in the Lord
Beloved brothers and sisters,
You all learned by now about the new bill introduced to the Parliament these past days, which, if ratified, would give to the Orthodox Church full and absolute legal ownership over all the religious assets (church, cemetery, rectory and all the real estate) in the rural communities where both Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches are active. Twenty years after religious freedom was granted to our Church, a proposed bill is still trying to strip the Romanian Church United with Rome of its right to property ownership, and to completely discredit its apostolate in the midst of our nation.
On behalf of the Synod of our Bishops we presented a formal protest to the highest political bodies of the State. Based on the experience of the nineteen years of attempted dialog with the authorities, we realize that the interest towards our cry for justice is extremely diminished. Clearly, we hope to preserve our bliss in continuing our mission as confirmed by the principled freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Nevertheless, we set our hearts onto the supremacy of Heaven in remembering the affliction which every generation of Christians had to endure for the Love of our God.
Beloved brothers and sisters,
Do not be afraid! Let us be ready to face whatever thing, for the hour of trial brings forth abundant divine Grace, and no one can separate us from its power. At this time we call you to prayer and not to rhetoric. The prayer is not the ultimate weapon, but the life of the human soul searching for peace. The certainty planted into the heart by a prayerful habit is way more precious than anything the human forecast can predict. We witness the assaults of the evil, which periodically shows its ignominy so as to spread discourage and despair. Our hope is in God, and we believe that the Church can blossom only by allowing Him to flow through our ruined lives.
Thus, by the hierarchical power invented us by God, we indict February 11th, 2009 as a day of repentance and prayer for all of us, members of the Romanian Catholic Church. We entrust to the Heaven our cry for justice which seems to be gone extinct here on Earth.
Beloved brothers and sisters,
Any renewal in the history of salvation found its sparkle in the heavenly Grace and the people’s need to repentance for their sins. On bending knees, together with the Blessed God-Bearing and ever Virgin Mary, we consign to you the hope of this day of abstinence, fast and prayer, while we strengthen you in faith. Christ is with us on the boat distressed by the waves, not sleeping but advising us: "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Lord’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom" (Luke 12:32). May this day of February 11th be for each one of us a day of retreat within our conscience, and astrict fast like on the Good and Holy Friday, the day of our Lord’s Passion.
Christ didn’t die as a hero, but was handed over to death, since the truth of heaven has always brought anxiety and rebuke to our human history. The Son of God carried his Cross as a renegade of humankind, yet his weakness in facing evil was out of his own will, so that through the price of His love, His death may bring us eternal salvation.
Beloved brothers and sisters,
We are close by, entrusting you to the Lord, and we renew our reliance on the heaven’s supremacy, through the words of the prophet: "Fear not, O Zion; your hands will not be weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior… I will gather them that sorrow and they will again be yours, those upon whom the burden was reproach… and gather them which were driven away… and I will make them a praise and a name, those whose shame have been in all the earth" (Zephaniah 3:16-19)
With apostolic blessing,
+ LUCIAN
Major Archbishop
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