Romanian Church preparing to canonize Elder Cleopa, Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Elder Gherasim (Iscu)

Bucharest, March 10, 2021

L to R: Fr. Dumitru, Elder Cleopa, Elder Gherasim. Photo: basilica.ro L to R: Fr. Dumitru, Elder Cleopa, Elder Gherasim. Photo: basilica.ro     

At its session on February 25, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decided to begin the canonization process of a dozen confessors and missionaries who suffered under Communism, to mark the 140th anniversary of autocephaly and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Patriarchate in 2025.

Yesterday, March 9, when Romania commemorates the political prisoners who suffered under communism, several of the names being considered for canonization were publicly announced.

Speaking with the Romanian Church’s Trinitas TV, His Grace Bishop Varlaam of Ploești named Elder Cleopa (Ilie) of Sihăstria Monastery, the great theologian Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, and Elder Gherasim (Iscu) of Tismana Monastery as three confessors of the faith whom the Holy Synod wants to canonize, reports the Basilica News Agency.

“Most of them professed in Christ in the very difficult times for the Church under communism,” Bp. Varlaam said of the twelve people under consideration.

The Church, which commemorates those who fought against communism at every Divine Liturgy, thus participates

Honoring those who suffered and gave their lives under communism, Bp. Varlaam emphasized: “The fundamental value of this nation is the Christian faith and living in the spirit of the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.”

“Even those who fought against communism for purely political reasons, after encountering suffering and understanding that the mystery of the Cross contains the mystery of the Resurrection, knew the crucified and risen Christ and confessed Him with all their might,” His Grace added.

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3/10/2021

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Comments
Terry Orr1/6/2023 10:56 pm
My name is Terry Orr and I am a graduate student at the Univ. of Texas at Austin in the department of Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. My thesis is Through Culture , Church and State, the iInfluence of Iconography on the Selection and Canonization of Orthodox Saints in Post-Communist Romania. My primary three case studies are St. John Jacob of Neamț, Fr. Arsenie Boca, and Corneliu Codreanu. Can you tell me if you are seeing any movement on the advancement of Fr. Boca for canonization which was proposed in 2016, and if there exists any Church or popular support for the canonization of Codreanu. Thank you, Terry Orr
V. Rev. Fr. David Ogan3/11/2021 8:02 pm
I had the joy of meeting and being blessed by the elder Cleopa. A life changing encounter
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