‘After one year, I can say that two aspects could be considered more intense and nuanced than the intuitions I had in the West: people’s faith and the living standard in rural areas.’
‘I’ve found a genuine, simple and beautiful faith. Without any urban sophistication, even though the act of Christian faith was born in urban areas,’ Bishop Ignatie said in an interview with the local Stiri Est newswire marking one year since his enthronement as Bishop of Husi.
In his interview, Bp Ignatie noted that he first became acquainted with Vaslui County by the help of several believers he met as Assistant Bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal.
‘The profound poverty in certain villages of the County, as well as the fact that they are far from the material well-being considered something normal for the times we live made me manifest a special pastoral and social care to them.’
‘I did not come with the thought of staying, nor of leaving’
Being asked by the journalists how long will he remain in the Husi Diocese, His Grace answered that ‘a shepherd can never leave his flock. He always remains available for the Church.’
‘The life of the shepherd, thee more so of the bishop, is the life of the Church. I did not come bearing in mind the thought of staying, nor of leaving. I came for ministry, to live our faith beautifully and to rejoice all together in what the Lord grants us so abundantly.’
‘So the will of God is sovereign when it comes to my life. Where the Lord takes me, or where the Lord makes me stay, I will stay with abnegation and dedication.’
In his interview, Bishop Ignatie talked about the social work of the Husi Diocese.
Though he dislikes presenting results, he recalled some social activities including Children’s Day activities, scholarships, building a house for a family affected by fire, offering school supplies at the beginning of the school year, and other support actions for the elderly.
What he regrets most?
Being asked what he regrets most, the Bishop of Husi said he regretted that he did not succeed to visit every single village of Vaslui County.
‘I travelled to more than a half of all the localities in Vaslui. I want to reach every of its corners,’ the Bishop said quoting a ‘beautiful aphorism’ saying ‘I want nothing to be alien to me.’
Photo: Husi Diocese
