http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/blogrevie w/2007/08/03/blog-03
Romania's Teoctist leaves controversial legacy 03/08/2007 Bloggers debate the late Patriarch Teoctist's career and his relationship to the Ceausescu regime. By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest - 03/08/07 Patriarch Teoctist, the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, died on Monday (July 30th) at the age of 92. He was born Toader Arapasu in 1915, hailing from the village of Tocileni in northeast Moldavia, and was the tenth of 11 children. He entered a monastery in 1928, was tonsured in 1935, and went to Bucharest five years later to study theology -- after which he was ordained. Decades later, in November 1986, the Electoral College of the Church Synod elected him as the Church's fifth patriarch. The regime of former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was in its final years. As ordinary people grappled with conditions of austerity, Ceausescu was busy razing historic parts of Bucharest to make way for his new "Civic Centre". Many notable churches and monasteries were torn down, and some say Teoctist did little to prevent the destruction. Because of accusations that he collaborated with the regime, the patriarch resigned in 1990 and withdrew to a monastery. However, he returned to office after the Holy Synod voted to reinstate him. "The reasons why he collaborated with the former odious regime are understandable," writes <http://cevautil.blogspot.com/2007/07/patriarhul-teoctist-murit-din-cauza.ht ml> Stratan at CevaUtil Blog. "He did it lest the church should be destroyed as an institution, and the events starting back in 1948 (when the communists came to power) clearly showed that was the objective. Compromise was and is a reality, in any field. Any other diplomatic step in those times wouldn't end in concrete results and all he could do was to adapt to the situation. So let him rest in peace." Not everyone agrees. "He should have resigned if he couldn't manage the situation. Leading the Church involves a certain responsibility and when you cannot assume it you back off," argues <http://cevautil.blogspot.com/2007/07/patriarhul-teoctist-murit-din-cauza.ht ml#comment-4145903335253378447> Habemus. "He was the only hope for the 23 million inhabitants who were ultimately deeply disappointed. Compromises are out of discussion when it comes to religion." <http://cevautil.blogspot.com/2007/07/patriarhul-teoctist-murit-din-cauza.ht ml#comment-6683846464507339627> Cumanul refers the matter to a higher authority."The man is cleric, a Christian. After the revolution (in 1989) he confessed and repented, so his sins were redeemed. This is the very essence of Christianity. So the discussion is useless -- God will judge him." The subject is a sensitive one, <http://cevautil.blogspot.com/2007/07/patriarhul-teoctist-murit-din-cauza.ht ml#comment-6730965291746084281> Madrigal writes, adding that both camps in the debate have solid arguments. "I am more interested in the coming fight over the vacant seat because there will certainly be something like that. We'll now see how earthly the religious environment is! Whoever may come out the winner must understand the Church has to keep pace with the times, and not the other way around." (C) SETimes ---------------------------- Vali "Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of greatness." (Carlo Goldoni) "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix) Aboneaza-te la <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ngo_list> ngo_list: o alternativa moderata (un pic) la [ngolist] Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email?
