Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești consecrated a chapel on Saturday at the Central Detention Centre of the Bucharest General Directorate of Police (DGPMB).
Concelebrating were Archimandrite Ciprian Grădinaru, ecclesiarch of the National Cathedral Chapel; Fr Ciprian Ion Ioniță, patriarchal adviser; Fr Mihai Hau, honorary patriarchal adviser; Fr Ionuț Bărbulescu, Archpriest of Bucharest’s Sector 4; and Fr Felix Iulian Radu, military priest and chaplain of the DGPMB Central Detention Centre.
Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Bucharest General Directorate of Police attended the event.
First chapel in a pre-trial detention facility
“With the help of the Good God and with the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, today we celebrated the consecration of this chapel, which will become the spiritual heart of the Capital’s Central Detention Centre and will be a place whose benefits are difficult for us, as human beings, to quantify,” Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești said at the conclusion of the service.
“First of all, I congratulate the director-general on this initiative to establish such a chapel within the detention centre.”
The Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop recalled that the Romanian Orthodox Church has a longstanding tradition of assigning spiritual fathers to prisons and emphasised that this was the first time a chapel had been established in a pre-trial detention facility.
“Here, in pre-trial detention, people undergo unprecedented emotional and psychological turmoil, and therefore divine and spiritual support is greatly needed.”
“When we find ourselves at crossroads in our lives, in moments of crisis, in moments that are decisive for our lives, the presence of a sacred place where we can encounter God through prayer, the reading of Scripture, reflection and counsel with a spiritual father is extraordinarily beneficial.”
The hierarch noted that the place of worship would also be important for staff at the Central Detention Centre.
Public safety and human dignity
Ioana Dorobanțu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Police Chief Quaestor, spoke about the importance of the new place of worship.
“The opening of this space represents more than the completion of an administrative or institutional project. Above all, it expresses care for the human person, respect for human dignity and recognition of the need for spiritual support, especially in times of trial and profound reflection,” she said.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs has the fundamental mission of safeguarding the rule of law, public safety and compliance with the law. In carrying out this responsibility, however, it remains essential that every institutional action be accompanied by respect for human values, fundamental rights and the dignity of every person.”
Orders and diplomas
At the conclusion of the event, Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești presented, on behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, ecclesiastical orders to those who supported the renovation of the building and the establishment of the new place of worship.
The Sanctus Stephanus Magnus Order for laypeople was awarded to Bogdan Berechet, Director-General of the Bucharest General Directorate of Police and Police Principal Quaestor. The Order of St John Chrysostom was awarded to Police Chief Quaestor Valentin Minoiu; the Order of St Neophytos the Cretan, Metropolitan of Wallachia, to Cristian Stancu; and the Order of St Maria Brâncoveanu to Elena Casandra Nițulescu, director of the Independent Detention and Pre-Trial Arrest Service.
Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești and Archimandrite Ciprian Grădinaru received diplomas of gratitude and appreciation from the Bucharest General Directorate of Police.
About the new chapel
Extensive rehabilitation work was carried out on the building housing the chapel, including structural treatment of the walls and the complete replacement of its utilities, joinery and roof covering.
The chapel was painted last year, when we also acquired its liturgical furnishings and objects.
The chapel of the DGPMB Central Detention Centre is dedicated to St Moses the Ethiopian and St Demetrius the New.
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Photo: BASILICA / Mircea Florescu
