Prison chaplains from Romania and several European countries gathered for the International Conference “Best Practices in Conducting Moral and Religious Activities in Prisons in Romania and Europe,” held last week in Timișoara, Arad and Deva.
The conference opened on 30 June at Timișoara Prison with a Te Deum service officiated by Orthodox prison chaplains, led by Fr Cristian Antonescu, coordinator of prison chaplains within Romania’s National Administration of Penitentiaries.
The programme continued with the blessing of the icon “Assembly of the Holy Romanian Women Saints,” followed by the first session of presentations dedicated to pastoral and missionary work carried out in the prison environment.
The opening day also brought together priests of the Romanian Orthodox Church serving in the diaspora, from Spain, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Malta and Hungary, who presented pastoral experiences from the communities they serve and contributed to an exchange of best practices concerning moral and religious activities in European prisons.
The role of Christian women in prisons
The conference continued at Arad Prison with a session entitled “The Pastoral Care of the Christian Family and the Role of Christian Women in Prisons – Pastoral Perspectives and Best Practices.”
The keynote speaker was Fr Răzvan Ionescu, Permanent Counsellor of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe and Vice-Dean of the Dumitru Stăniloae Orthodox Centre for Studies and Research in Paris. He presented examples of pastoral best practice from the Romanian Orthodox diaspora and emphasised the importance of cooperation between the Church and prison authorities in the spiritual rehabilitation and social reintegration of people deprived of their liberty.
Also in Arad, Fr Lucian Farcașiu, Associate Professor at the “Ilarion V. Felea” Faculty of Orthodox Theology, delivered a lecture dedicated to the Commemorative Year of the Canonised Christian Women of the Romanian Patriarchate, highlighting the role of holy women in the life of the Church and the continuing relevance of their example for prison ministry.
The conference concluded at Deva Prison with a Te Deum service, followed by the presentation of the volume Anthology of Pastoral-Therapeutic Interventions in the Prison Context, authored by Fr Alexandru Fleșer. The closing events were also attended by Fr Valentin Crainic, Dean of Deva.
Photo: Metropolis of Banat
