Six priests from Suceava’s Archdiocese and two employees of a funeral company dressed in white overalls and wearing protective gloves carried the coffin of Archbishop Pimen during his funeral.
The 90-year-old Archbishop of Suceava and Radauti died last week after testing positive for the new coronavirus.
One of the priests was Fr. Bogdan Cojoleanca, the director of St Dositheus Theological Seminary in Suceava.
“Our souls were full of joy because we were together with His Eminence Archbishop Pimen until the end of the road. Although this burden seemed heavy for some because of the heat gathered inside those slightly uncomfortable overalls, I confess that I felt a state of consolation. I had a feeling of fulfilment because we, the priests, were the ones chosen to live this historic moment,” said the clergyman, Doxologia reports.
‘We felt like we were carrying the entire Bukovina on our shoulders,’ Father Bogdan Cojoleancă added.
The six priests who left their cassocks on May 22 and put on overalls include Fr. Bogdan Cojoleanca (Church of the Placement Center “Gheorghe Sidorovici” in Gura Humorului), Fr. Nicolae Cârdei (Arbore Parish), Fr. Constantin Bobu (Ipotești Parish), Fr. Adrian Isache (Salcea Parish), Fr. Ștefan Mihalcea (Sasca Nouă Parish) and Fr. Mihai Cobziuc (Dărmănești Parish).
Photography courtesy of Doxologia / Fr Silviu Cluci
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