April 11, 2015
A roundup of Romanians and international news
Corina Cristea, 11.04.2015, 12:00
Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians from around the world, including Romania, today celebrate Holy Saturday, the Easter Eve. In Jerusalem, a divine liturgy is performed, a unique Orthodox ritual in which the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem comes out of the tomb of Jesus Christ carrying lit candles and offers light to believers. In his Easter address, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, says that “in a world marked by instability and insecurity, Christians must search for the joy brought to us by the union with Jesus Christ and must share this joy with those who suffer, through prayer, solidarity and relief.”
Most Romanians choose to spend their Easter holidays with their families, and their majority estimate they will spend for the Easter lunch similar amounts to those earmarked in previous years, according to an IRES opinion poll. Data indicate that three quarters of the interviewees will attend the Resurrection Mass, although 9 in 10 Romanians define themselves as religious people. As for the traditional dishes, half of the respondents say they will have home-made lamb dishes, Easter cake and wine. The poll was conducted during April 4 to 6, on a sample of one thousand people, with a 3 per cent margin of error.
Crown Princess Margareta of Romania and Prince Radu will be in Chisinau on Easter night, to attend the Easter Vigil, the Royal House of Romania announced. During the visit to Chisinau, the two will have a meeting with the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Andrian Candu, with the Mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca, and with the president of the Science Academy of the Republic of Moldova, Gheorghe Duca. This is the first time in 73 years that the Royal Family of Romania will be present in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Chisinau. In October 1942, King Mihai and Queen Mother Elena attended the mass occasioned by the opening of the restored cathedral. This was the last visit of King Mihai and Queen Mother Elena to Chisinau.
Expo Milano 2015, themed “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” will open on May 1st, and Romania will be represented by a pavilion whose theme will be “In Harmony with Nature,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The 2015 Universal Exposition will last for 6 months, during which the 145 participating countries will have a chance to illustrate their own solutions to the food and energy challenges that the world is facing, and to suggest answers for the global problems related to the provision of healthy food for all mankind while also preserving biodiversity and the environment.
Panama City is hosting a Summit of the Americas, marking a historic rapprochement between the US and Cuba. Little before the opening of the Summit, AFP reports, the American President Barack Obama and the Cuban President Raul Castro greeted and exchanged a few words. The US and Cuba decided to normalise relations in December, after decades of tensions dating back to the Cold War. In 1982, Cuba was included by the US Department of State on the list of countries that support terrorism, on grounds that it provided assistance with Marxist insurgence, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were discontinued in 1961. The Summit of the Americas brings together 35 heads of state.
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 3 in the world, ranks second in the WTA polls for the best player and the best shot in March. American Serena Williams, world leader and winner of the Miami tournament, after defeating Halep 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 in the final, won 52% of the votes. Halep comes second with 40%, and Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro ranks third, with 8%. In March Halep won the Indian Wells, the first Premier Mandatory title in her career. This year Halep has also won the tournaments in Shenzhen and Dubai.
