April 21, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Daniel Bilț, 21.04.2025, 19:16
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 sadness at the death of the Pontiff and highlighted the latter’s efforts for peace, social justice and support for those in need. The German Chancellor Designate, Friedrich Merz, has voiced profound sorrow caused by the Pontiff’s death and has paid homage to the memory of a man characterized 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 profound regret and sorrow at Pope Francis’ death.
WEEK Orthodox Christians, who are a majority in Romania, and Catholics have entered the Bright Week, which begins right after the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ and ends on Thomas Sunday (of the St. Apostle Thomas). The aforementioned week is the most important in the Christian-Orthodox Calendar being dedicated to the joy caused by the Resurrection of Christ. The period symbolizes the victory of life over death and the hope for eternal life. Special religious services are being held this week in churches where altar doors remain open as a symbol of the heavenly open doors. For seven days people are rejoicing in Christ’s Resurrection observing ancient customs. In this period, the heavenly doors are said to remain open for all believers. Christians of the main denominations on Sunday celebrated the Resurrection of Christ, the most important holiday in the Christian world. In his Easter sermon, Daniel, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, has urged Christians to spread joy around, particularly to those in suffering.
ORDER Roughly 24,600 Interior Ministry employees were deployed during the Easter holiday with a view to easing traffic on Romania’s roads, and also to ensure rapid intervention in emergency situations, the prevention and combating of illegal deeds and to rescue lives. The aforementioned employees mainly focused on churches and other buildings where religious services were being held. In an attempt to prevent blazes and any other emergency situations that might occur, firefighters had earlier stepped up checking at churches, accommodation facilities and other buildings than might get crowded during the holidays. Thousands of paramedics and firefighters as well as 12 SMURD aircraft were prepared to intervene in emergency situations. Over 16 hundred policemen were also deployed to supervise traffic on Romania’s most crowded roads.
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