April 21, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 21.04.2025, 13:55
POPE According to the Vatican, Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman-Catholic Church has died ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he was trying to overhaul the institution, Reuters reports. The 88 years old Pope was suffering from various illnesses during his service of 12 years. His last public appearance was on Easter Sunday when he offered a blessing to tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Argentina and is the first Pope from Latin America. Shortly after getting elected Pontiff at the age of 76 he started to implement a series of changes in the Catholic Church. He reorganized the Vatican’s bureaucratic system, wrote four major didactic documents, travelled to over 65 countries and canonized over 900 saints. He has been recognized for his attempts to bring the sober Catholic Church in line with the realities of the present day world. Among his major decisions was that he allowed priests to grant blessings to same-sex couples according to each case and for the first time he appointed women in leading positions at the Vatican. He staged five major synods of the Catholic bishops from all over the world for talks over ordaining women and changing the church’s teachings on sexual issues.
MESSAGES European leaders have expressed their regret and sorrow after the death of the Pontiff. ‘Pope Francis was a symbol of humility, compassion, with a tireless commitment to peace and justice, a close friend of the Romanian people, which he appreciated for the depth of its faith and spirit’, Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, wrote on Facebook. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen says ‘the Pope has inspired millions far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for those less fortunate.’ The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez has expressed the sadness caused by the death of the Pontiff and highlighted his efforts for peace, social justice and his support for those in need. German Chancellor Designate, Friedrich Merz, has voiced the profound sorrow caused by the Pontiff’s death and has paid homage to the memory of a man led by humility and faith in the mercy of God. ‘A great man has left us’ says the Italian Premier, Giorgia Meloni, while the Polish President Andrzej Duda has described the Pontiff as a man guided by ‘humility and modesty’. Just like the other world leaders, the head of the European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has voiced the profound regret and sorrow caused by the death of Pope Francis.
EASTER Orthodox believers, who are a majority in Romania, and Catholics, are today celebrating the second day of Easter, at the beginning of a week known as the ‘Bright Week’. The Lord’s Resurrection, the most important holiday in the Christian world is the only holiday, which is being celebrated for three days. During the aforementioned week everything is under the sign of light and the symbol of Christ’s Resurrection. The regular greetings have been replaced by the confession-greeting ‘Christ has Risen’ ‘Indeed He has Risen!’, which publicly affirms one’s belief in the Resurrection. The Monday of the Bright Week is also known in Romania as the ‘White Monday’ when allegedly the Heaven’s Doors and the Doors of Forgiveness are open. Christians of most denominations on Sunday celebrated the Resurrection of Christ Jesus, the most important Christian Holiday. In his sermon, Daniel, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, has urged believers to spread happiness and joy around themselves and mainly to touch the hearts of those suffering.
MAI More than 24 thousand employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry (MAI) are deployed these days on a daily basis with a view to easing traffic on the country’s roads, ensuring rapid intervention in case of emergency, preventing and fighting illegal deeds and saving lives during this mini Easter holiday. These employees will be supervising 14 thousand churches, where religious services are to be staged on this major Christian holiday, sources with the Ministry have announced. Firefighters lately stepped up checking activities at churches, religious buildings and accommodation facilities, which usually get crowded on this holiday. 15 hundred suchlike buildings were being checked in the month of April alone in an attempt to prevent any possible blaze that might occur. According to the same sources, over one million Euros in fines has been applied. 16 hundred road policemen have been deployed to monitor the crowded motorways. They are using roughly 400 radar speed guns as well as alcohol and drug testing devices.
WEATHER And now a couple of things about the weather in Romania, which is very warm for this time of the year in most of the regions. The sky is overcast with showers and thunderstorms reported in the mountains, and isolated areas in eastern and south-eastern Romania. The highs of the day are ranging between 21 and 27 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 24 degrees.
(bill)
