Interim President Ilie Bolojan and Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia paid tribute on Wednesday to the founders of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, during a ceremony at Cernica Monastery in Ilfov County.
The interim President of Romania was received by His Grace Bishop Veniamin and Archimandrite Vasile Pîrjol, the abbot of Cernica Monastery, in front of the monastic church dedicated to St. Nicholas.
Bishop Veniamin officiated a memorial service for the architects of the historic act, after which he spoke about the significance of the anniversary and the homage owed to those who contributed to fulfilling this historic aspiration.
The event was attended by H.E. Victor Chirilă, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Romania, presidential advisers, diplomatic personnel, members of the Organization of Bessarabian Students in Bucharest, and volunteers from historical reenactment groups.
Ceremony at the Graves of Bessarabian Leaders
The service was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the graves of key figures in the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, buried in the monastery’s cemetery: Metropolitan Gurie Grosu, Pantelimon Halippa, Daniel Ciugureanu, and Ioan Pelivan.
Interim President Ilie Bolojan laid a wreath of flowers, while Bishop Veniamin lit a memorial candle.
“With the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and at the request of the Romanian Presidency, today we held a memorial service for the founders of the Union of Bessarabia with the Motherland at Cernica Monastery, where eight members of the Sfatul Țării (Council of the Country) are buried,” stated the Bishop of Southern Bessarabia for Basilica.ro.
“On this occasion, we spoke about the context in which the Union was accomplished, about the worthy architects of the Union and the involvement of the clergy, and about the importance of the Union for the development of this Romanian province under Tsarist occupation.”
“The President expressed his thanks to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church for organizing the event. He also shared his joy in participating in the memorial and emphasized the need to honor the memory and continue the projects of those founders,” Bishop Veniamin added.
“This celebration dedicated to the memory of those who sacrificed for national and religious unity shows that the ideals of the Union remain alive in our collective consciousness and will continue to inspire the cohesion needed to overcome difficulties and divisions, so that we may build together the prosperous future we all desire,” Interim President Ilie Bolojan wrote in Cernica Monastery’s Book of Honour.
The First Province to Reunite with the Homeland
Bessarabia was the first historic Romanian province to unite with Romania to form Greater Romania. The union took place on March 27, 1918, after Bessarabia had been torn from Moldova and annexed by Russia in 1812. The effects of the union were reversed in 1940, when Russia annexed Bessarabia once again, based on the secret Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.
This year’s anniversary overlaps with several jubilee events in the Romanian Patriarchate: the Centennial of the Romanian Patriarchate and the Centennial of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, also established in 1925, after the Great Union.
Photo: presidency.ro
