On August 16, Romania marks the National Day of Remembrance of the Brâncoveanu Martyrs and of Awareness of Violence against Christians.
The President of Romania ratified the law declaring August 16 as “National Day of Remembrance of the Brâncoveanu Martyrs and of Awareness of Violence against Christians” on July 16, 2020.
The 16th of August was chosen to coincide with the Romanian Orthodox Church’s commemoration of the Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs on that date. They represent the Romanians’ fight for independence, as affirmed by their Christian cultural and religious ethos.
This National Day seeks to educate the public, including young people, about the role of Christianity in Romania’s history and the nature and scope of Christian persecution in the world today.
The Romanian Patriarchate welcomed the proclaiming of this national day of remembrance. It advocated for “the memorial recovery of Christian martyrdom and the protection and promotion of religious freedom as a fundamental right of every human person.”
“The Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs exemplarily illustrated martyrdom as the ultimate proof of love for Christ in the history of Romanian Christianity.”
“That is why the proclamation of a national commemoration day for their martyrdom should be an opportunity to become more aware of today’s violence against Christians. This violence takes different forms of persecution today, from the Christphobia of the new ideologies to the filmed executions of those whose only guilt is that of being Christian.”
Persecutions against Christians have steadily worsened
In its annual World Watch List 2023, Open Doors confirmed that one out of every seven Christians worldwide suffers high persecution and discrimination for their faith.
According to the data, more than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Similar numbers were recorded last year. However, the score of the indicators in the fifty countries at risk is growing.
Photo: The martyrdom of the Holy Brâncoveanu Martyrs in 1714: fresco at the New St George Church in Bucharest © Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
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