Why We Build The Cathedral For The Nation’s Salvation And What Its Significance Is
Romanian Orthodox Church
03-08-2011
The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate informs us:
As there are still some persons and groups that continue to contest in the country and abroad the need and opportuneness to build the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation in Bucharest, the Romanian Patriarchate explains that the New Cathedral is a necessity and a symbol:
1. Liturgical necessity
Only who celebrates or attends the solemn liturgical moments and the church ceremonies in the present Patriarchal Cathedral knows the difficulties brought about by the acute lack of space for the normal development of the religious services. The present Patriarchal Cathedral, built in the middle of the 17th century (1656 – 1658) was first church monastery and later on metropolitan cathedral in 1688. From 1925 forward, once the Romanian Patriarchate was set up, it has been temporary used as Patriarchal Cathedral till the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation is built, as the text by Patriarch Miron Cristea above the entrance door reads, written after the restoration works from 1932 – 1935. All the metropolitan cathedrals of the Romanian provinces are much more spacious than the present Patriarchal Cathedral and provide the clergy and faithful with better conditions for celebrating the religious services.
2. Public necessity
According to the Bill of the Religious Cults no. 489/2006, the religious cults are legal persons of private law and public utility (article 8, paragraph 1). In the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation religious ceremonies with national public character will be celebrated, like remembrance services for the heroes of the Romanian nation on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord – Heroes’ Day (one of the dedication days of the future Patriarchal Cathedral) and of the Heroes of December 1989 or the Te Deum service on the National Day – 1 December. At the same time, some other ceremonies will be held in the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation, as for example anniversaries, or commemorations with national and international character, guests from abroad will be received and events with religious significance will be organised like congresses, conferences and other manifestations of the Romanian priests and young people from the country and abroad. The public utility of the future Patriarchal Cathedral will be also emphasised by the generous space of almost 6 ha around it arranged as public park, enlarging the surface of the greenery of Bucharest.
3. Symbol of the unity between the spiritual and social work of the Church
In the complex of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation the spiritual work of liturgical catechetic homiletic character will go off in unity with and completing the social-cultural work – through the Conference Centre and the Museum of the Romanian Christianity – the social-philanthropic one – through the canteen and pilgrims’ hostel – and social-medical one – through the Centre of Diagnosis and Treatment – all of them in the precincts of the new Cathedral.
4. Symbol of the unity between generations and of the Romanians from everywhere
The Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation will be representative for the faith of the majority of the Romanian people through its traditional Romanian Byzantine architectural style. The paintings and mosaics of the future Patriarchal Cathedral will include saints and places of worships representative for all the Romanian provinces and even for the Romanian communities abroad.
5. Symbol of the national dignity
The Romanian Orthodox Church is the only one of the Orthodox Churches without a representative cathedral for the faith of the majority of the Romanian people. In several countries of the world, the Cathedral of the capital is also called national cathedral. For example, National Cathedral of Washington is the national cathedral where ceremonies with national symbol value take place. It should be mentioned the fact that National Arena stadium with a capacity of 55,000 places was built in Bucharest with public funds without great protests concerning the opportuneness of this national sportive objective. Yet, the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation with 5,000 places capacity will be built only partially from public funds, while the rest of the money will be provided through the donations of the clergy and of the Romanian Orthodox faithful from the country and abroad.
6. Complementary to the schools and hospitals of Romania
The new Patriarchal Cathedral cannot compete or be opposed to the schools and hospitals of Romania, as those hostile to its construction say, because it is complementary to them. The public schools of Romania are competed and completed by many private schools appeared after 1990, just as the hospitals and other state medical units are competed and completed by private medical centres. Yet, the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation cannot be replaced by a private one, because the Cathedral is a symbol of a great community in prayer, of a whole city.
The Church is the only school that is not ended with a school leaving examination or with studies for a doctor’s degree, but always remains a lifelong spiritual school which guides people to look for the eternal heavenly life ever since their earthly life. Moreover, it is the only hospital that heals the man of sins both through forgiveness and through the cultivation of virtues in order to get spiritual health and pure love for harmony in family and society.
So, the Church is a spiritual school and hospital, complementary to all the public schools and hospitals. This is why, following the request of the Church, religion is taught in public schools educating the children and young people in the spirit of the perennial eternal values, completing in this way the scientific disciplines, while charity priests are present in hospital helping and completing the medical scientific practice, because man is not only body, but also soul.
7. In conclusion, it is more useful and respectable to build with joy a symbol-space of communion, than passionately defend a spiritual vacuum!
This truth is confirmed by the crowd of Romanian clergy and faithful who have already begun to offer with joy some little money for the Cathedral that represents their desire to be strengthened in faith and grown in dignity.
