The Romanian Patriarchate states that it has taken note “with grief” of the defamatory use of the Christian religious symbols during the interpretation of the play “Prophet Ilie”. The IL Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest (TNB) comes with clarifications.
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“The show Prophet Ilie does not intend to bring any offense to the Christian faith or any other religious belief. On the contrary, installation is a reflection on faith, the fragility of human beliefs and on the dangers of extremism of any kind. It is an artistic approach that encourages tolerance, dialogue and a deeper understanding of human spirit.
In addition, we mention that some images on social platforms have been removed from the real context of the show, presenting isolated fragments in a way that distorts the artistic message of the mounting. The show is not a blasphemy and does not intend to ridicule faith, but, on the contrary, invites a deep reflection on the relationship between man and divinity, on how faith can be influenced or diverted”, I send the representatives of the theater.
In fact, according to the official website of the show, “Prophet Ilie” is “an invitation to sincere meditation on faith and religion in a moment of deep spiritual and moral crisis. Director Botond Nagy stated, before the premiere: “I wish that through this artistic project the spectators to analyze their own beliefs in a new light and to understand the true value of this miraculous human connections that is the faith“.
The IL Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest reaffirms that the show has no intention of blasphemy or lack of respect for religious values.
“We consider that some critical reactions are the result of an erroneous interpretation of the artistic message, which does not deny, but on the contrary, brings to light the complexity of the relationship between man, faith and society.
We respect the right of each spectator to have their own beliefs and we encourage the open dialogue, in the spirit of the theater values as a space of reflection and freedom of expression. The theater is, by definition, a place of questions, not of the imposed answers, a space in which each spectator has the freedom to interpret and reflect”, Concludes TNB.
The Patriarchate took a “grief” of the defamatory use of religious symbols
The Romanian Patriarchate transmitted in a statement that it took a “grief” of the defamatory use of the Christian religious symbols during the interpretation of the play “Prophet Ilie”, specifying that the respect of Christian symbols is an important spiritual and cultural act in an increasingly secularized and inclined world.
“Any cultural manifestation is beneficial and educational insofar as it respects, without deforming, the sense of sacred. The use of religious symbols inappropriately, without valuing their liturgical meaning and their spiritual inheritance for universal history and culture, cannot represent a Christian recovery.
Therefore, we take note of grief of the defamatory use of the Christian religious symbols during the interpretation of the theater play ‘Prophet Ilie’ and we hope that, in the future, cultural manifestations will continue to respect their sacred dimension, without prejudicing their spiritual value”, It is shown at a point of view transmitted by the Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate.
The show ‘Prophet Ilie (Prophet Ilya)’ by Tadeusz Slobodzianek is the song chosen by the director Botond Nagy for the second mounting at the National Theater ‘IL Caragiale’ in Bucharest.
The “Prophet Ilie” is based on the information published by Wlodzimierz Pawluzuk, a sociologist and researcher in the field of religion, who described the phenomenon of the prophet Ilya in his 1974 study centered on the figure of Eliasz Klimowicz, an eccentric man, who lived in the North -East Bialystok Polish region, in the 1930s.
A report on the end of the world; The story of a group of people who broke away from the Greek Orthodox Church and tried to build their own world in a small village left by God. Klimowicz, who owned only one book – the Bible – and all that he knew about the world was through lively information to self -proclaim the biblical prophet Ilya.
He built an Orthodox church in a settlement called Wierszalin, where he founded a new Jerusalem and soon gathered a group of devoted followers. Thus, Ilya’s story also becomes the story of a group of people who wanted to change the world trying to impose their dreams in reality, it is shown in the description of the show.
For Botond Nagy, ‘Prophet Ilie’ is ‘a provocative and naughty text’, ‘an unbelievable story in XIV scenes’ (subtitle given by the author), with 14 characters, a harsh story, which the director dresses in an image focused on the light. “Everything is very comical and at the same time very painful,” it is shown in a statement sent by TNB.
