Priest Nicolae Tănase, president of the Pro Vita Association, believes that the beautiful girls, who were victims of sexual assault, “they are not really innocent” and that they should go to jail too. The Minister of Justice considers the statements “an invitation to rape“, while the BOR delimits itself from these statements.
Priest Nicolae Tănase, Pro Vita Social Center – Facebook photo
The priest Nicolae Tănase, known for establishing a social center in Valea Plopului, claimed yesterday, during a conference, in Constanța, that sexually assaulted girls are also to blame and that they should also serve three, four months in prison.
“Beautiful girls attract boys and then the boys go to jail for attracting girls. They will be convicted and go to prison, but the girls are not really innocent. They must also be taken to court. If he does six years in prison, let her do three, four months. Why? Well, this one didn't stick to her like that anyway, it stuck because it caught her eye in a special way. That's why our Christian women once had their behavior, they were very attractive, they had a certain behavior in walking, in thinking, in looking“, said priest Nicolae Tănase, according to G4Media.
The statements were made in a conference organized by the Association of Romanian Orthodox Christian Students (ASCOR).
Then, he stated that the statements were taken out of context: “I expressed my opinion that the punishment of the rapist should be done taking into account the context in which the sexual assault took place and whether the assaulted person contributed to the slippage of the person in question, respectively through indecent clothing…provocative…gestures … etc… (…) In this sense, the court should request the analysis of an interdisciplinary commission regarding the role of the rape victim because the goal is not for the rapist to spend years in prison, but not to reach such a situation. And the court's punishment follows naturally if it also finds the victim's guilt. (…) I am sorry that it is thought that I am defending rapists. On the contrary!…. That's what I argued and that's how I argue about morality, including in dress…. gestures… etc… and on the subsequent disastrous consequences. Taking my answer out of context can leave room for any kind of interpretation.. And in this case … it's useful.“, answered the priest on the social network.
The BOR reaction
The spokesman of the Patriarchate reacted to the cleric's statements on Facebook, criticizing a distorted perspective on gender and religion, emphasizing the authentic values of Christianity.
“If a boy abuses a girl, she is also guilty.” Because he tempted him. She's just a descendant of Eve, you know. Ergo, let her go to prison too. Here is a sample of barbaric clericalized “thinking,” armed to the teeth against reason, tenderness, and theology, reductionist to the point of self-cancellation, inspired by the worst possible relationship to reality and biblical revelation. In such a bleak vision, temptation is not just a feminine noun, it is woman or femininity itself. A priori guilty before man and manhood. The latter being, in the context, just a euphemism for virile, aggressive and possibly barbophorous youth. How sad! When the core of Christianity is only freedom, love, joy. Responsible freedom, agapic love, joy of encounter and resurrection.“, wrote Vasile Bănescu.
In turn, associations that defend women's rights reacted.
“This statement is deeply sexist and dangerous. Victims are innocent and should never be held accountable for the actions of abusers. It doesn't matter the behavior, walking, clothing or “looks”, no one deserves to be assaulted or abused. Responsibility for abuse is NOT shared between the abuser and the victim, it is entirely the abuser's. (…)Any attempt to blame someone else only means that the abuser is protected, his actions justified, and the victim is made to feel guilty on top of all the other feelings she has about the abuse. Such speech is not acceptable, especially from a person with such great influence“, the Filia Center sent.
Researcher specializing in gender and politics, Oana Băluță, described the statements as “another example of fundamentalism in the thinking of another Orthodox priest. It's sinister what he says, but it's not unusual. The contempt for women is great and appears systematically in the statements of some priests. This kind of religious thinking keeps the harsh patriarchy alive and feeds deep contempt for women.“, on the social network.
Minister of Justice: “It's an invitation to rape!”
Alina Gorghiu, the Minister of Justice qualified the priest's statements as “an invitation to rape“.
“It's not just an uninspired statement, it's an invitation to rape! Folks, that kind of statement is medieval, shocking! The priest from the town of Valea Plopului said that “sexually abused girls must also go to prison, because they are beautiful”, not only the aggressors, the poor“, begins Alina Gorghiu's Facebook post.
The Minister of Justice adds that the priest should be publicly sanctioned for the views shared at the conference, especially since they can justify violence and aggression.
“This statement must be firmly sanctioned at the public level, not passed over in silence, because for this reason – the “silence” – there are still enough Romanians who believe that this is, maybe the rape was justified because the skirt was too short or it is normal to you get another slap from the “man”. A priest is a person of influence in the community and such a statement is unacceptable. Under no circumstances, under no circumstances, is rape allowed, justified, and under no circumstances can we ever talk about the victim's fault!“, continues Alina Gorghiu.
The official also noted that such a statement “UNDERMINE” the justice system.
“I am not only reacting as a simple citizen, as a woman, but also as a Minister of Justice because such a statement undermines the justice system that we strive so hard, day by day, to make as credible as possible. No, in Romania and in no other normal state will you ever be imprisoned because “you are too beautiful” and for this reason, the faces, you were the victim of a sexual assault.“, concludes the Minister of Justice.
A complaint was also submitted to the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) against priest Nicolae Tănase by MEP Nicu Ștefănuță, reports HotNews. The politician accuses the priest of encouraging discrimination and deviant behavior, underlining the seriousness of the problem in the alarming context of sexual assaults in Romania. It draws attention to the fact that in 2022, more than a thousand minor girls, who could not express valid consent regarding a sexual act of any kind, were victims of sexual assaults.
More than half of Romanians, 55% to be precise, believe that rape is justified in certain situations, according to the 2017 Eurobarometer.
The Filia Center reports 4,667 rape cases registered in 2022, of which only 25% were sent to court. Three out of four rape cases settled in 2022 ended in miscarriages of justice. According to the previously cited source, there were 4,886 rape cases before prosecutors in 2023, of which 1,679 cases were resolved, representing 34% of the total registered.
