Where God Weeps - the suffering church in focus

Romania: Renovation of the church of St Peter und St Paul in Targu Neamt

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Renovation of the church "Santi Pietro e Paulo" in Targu Neamt: Father Iulian Butnaru inside the church building. @ACN

On 25 December 1989 the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was brought before a military tribunal and summarily executed, together with his wife. Shortly before this, over 1000 people had lost their lives demonstrating for freedom and democracy. But finally, as throughout the former Eastern Bloc, the Communist regime fell here too.

10 years later, when Pope John Paul II travelled to Romania, he stated in his address at Bucharest airport, "During this century that is drawing to its close, your fatherland has experienced the horrors of harsh totalitarian systems of government and in its suffering has shared the fate of many other countries of Europe." He recalled the many bishops and priests, religious men and women and ordinary lay people who had suffered persecution, many of whom had witnessed to their faith with the shedding of their blood. At the same time he called upon the young people above all to help to work for a better future.

In the 21 years since this political watershed a great deal has happened, and since 2007 Romania has been a member of the EU. The Christian churches too are free to profess their faith once again. Around 90% of the population belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church, while some 8% are Catholics. The Latin-rite Catholic Church has 6 dioceses in Romania. But there is a major problem in the fact that many buildings, both civil and religious, have still not been restored to their rightful owners. The old elite and remnants of the former communist power structures still wield great influence. And it is even said that the „men with blue eyes“ (the dreaded Securitate, or communist secret police) are back in business.

Father Iulian Butnaru, parish priest of the parish of „St Peter und St Paul“ in Targu Neamt, in the northeast of Romania, has been faced with a similar problem. A friend of the Church had left two rooms of an extremely dilapidated building to the Church in a bequest. However, the land upon which the building stood did not belong to the Church, and the other beneficiaries of the will did not even want the Church to have the two rooms that had been bequeathed to it by their deceased relative. After a long and petty war, waged by the relatives of the deceased, which almost brought Father Iulian to despair, the matter was finally resolved and renovation work could at last begin.

However, there was still a great deal to do on this building, which had been constructed in 1860. By then the foundations had already been laid. The house lies in a former riverbed, which had been filled in with gravel. Piers were introduced, and the walls were strengthened. Thanks to the generosity of ACN's benefactors, the parish was then able to repair the roof and extend it. In this extended space beneath the roof the parishioners now gathered to pray and also to celebrate Holy Mass, not only on Sunday but also on Thursdays – in honour of St Anthony of Padua, who is greatly revered here.

Now they were planning to convert this space into a proper chapel. And so Father Julian turned once again to ACN "in humility and trust" for help, so that the work could be completed. Once again, our generous benefactors came to his aid, and we were able to grant him a further contribution of €10,000.

The renovated church. @ACN

To know about this and many other similar projects in favour of the pastoral needs of the suffering Church, please contact our national offices.