Last week, His Eminence Metropolitan Petru and officials from both sides of the Prut River unveiled the busts of two great artisans of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, Alexandru Marghiloman and Ion Inculeț. The ceremony on Monday, March 27, 2023, marked the 105th anniversary of the Union of Bessarabia with the Kingdom of Romania.
Participants included the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Igor Grosu, the President of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu, the President of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Romanian Senate Titus Corlățean, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Moldova Sergiu Prodan, the Minister of Culture of Romania Lucian Romașcanu, and Romania’s Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Cristian- Leon Țurcanu.
The guests were received with applause by those present.
The Metropolitan of Bessarabia officiated a Te Deum service in honour of the artisans of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania (1918), Alexandru Marghiloman, Prime Minister of Romania, and Ion Inculeț, President of the Council of the Country (Bessarabia).
After the service, the unveiling ceremony of the busts of the two statesmen took place, installed on the Alley of Deputies in “Sfatul Țării” park of Ialoveni municipality.
Deputies from the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and Romania and the Ministers of Culture from the two countries spoke.
Mentioning the deep historical ties between the people on the two banks of the Prut, they emphasised the significance of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania to our nation as a symbol of the unity and solidarity of all Romanians.
The President of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu stated that just like 105 years ago, Romania will always stand by the Republic of Moldova and defend the interests and territorial integrity of the people on the left bank of the Prut, which has the duty to properly honour their nation, language, land and history.
“After whole decades of discrimination and injustice, justice is finally being done for the Metropolis of Bessarabia,” said Marcel Ciolacu, referring to the decision of the Chisinau legislature to transfer the building of the former Theological Seminary to its last rightful owner free of charge, which is the Metropolis of Bessarabia.
Igor Grosu, the Speaker of the Chisinau Parliament, praised Romania’s unwavering support for the Republic of Moldova and expressed his optimism that the present political class would have the ability to make historic decisions in these crucial periods, just as the Union’s founders did.
Metropolitan Petru stressed the importance of the anniversary of this historical moment because it reminds us of the duty to fight for the same ideal of union for the benefit of future generations.
His Eminence also spoke about the importance of the unity and solidarity of the Romanian people, regardless of political and geographical borders.
The Metropolitan appealed to all Romanians to be united and to continue working together for the same goal: strengthening Romanian unity and national identity.
Metropolitan Petru concluded his address with a prayer for all right-believing Romanians, praying the peace and blessing of the Holy Spirit’s grace upon all those who have helped and continue to contribute to building ties amongst brothers of faith, race, and language.
Photography courtesy of the Metropolis of Bessarabia
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