In 2019, 20 years away from another pope visiting Romania, on May 31, 2019, Pope Francis came to Romania, in a historic visit of three days, reminding everyone that in the eyes of God we are all the same, despite the religious or ethnic differences.
Pope Francis blessed Romania in 2019, at his visit here. Photo archive
Hundreds of people welcomed Pope Francis five years ago, on May 31, 2019, at Otopeni Airport and tens of thousands then gathered in the Capital, where he made the first stop, to welcome Romania and to see the pontiff who came with a simple message, but full of meanings: “Let’s go together.”
“Let us go together with the power of memory. Not with the memory of the injustices suffered or caused, of the judgments and prejudices, which close us in a vicious circle and determine us to have sterile attitudes, but with the memory of the roots: of the first centuries in which the Gospel, known with boldness and prophetic spirit, Confessors of faith, of holiness lived daily and preached by so many simple people who share the same heaven ”,
says Pope Francis, the pontifier who has always advocated for peace, tolerance and acceptance of his neighbor.
Pope Francis managed to conquer the hearts of the Romanians as soon as he set foot on the Romanian soil, with a gesture of absolute humility, when he kissed the medallion with the icon of the Virgin from the Orthodox Archbishop of Târgovişte, present at the airport, and then repeated the impressive gesture and at the Patriarchate Palace, Daniel.
And the modesty expressed through his speech was exemplary.
“” And I came here as a pilgrim who wants to see the image of the Lord in the image of the brothers; looking at you, thank you for your reception. The bonds of faith that unite us from the Apostles, the witnesses of the Risen, especially from the connection that united Petru de Andrei, who, according to tradition. In a special way, by pouring the blood for the Lord.he reminded them of his sanctity to meet him.
Pope Francis chose to come to Romania in 2019, a country in which most of the population is an Orthodox Christian, to launch a call to unity and to make the voice of global consciousness that draws attention to the dangers of populism, a few days after the European elections that year, marked by an ascent of this phenomenon.
“We need to help us not give in to the seduction of” hatred of hatred “and individualism which, although it is no longer as ideological as in the times of atheist persecution, is still more convincing and not less materialistic. It often recommends as a means of development what is shown immediately and soluble, but in reality it is indifferent and superficial.” He warned in his 2019 speech the Sovereign Pontiff.
In his pilgrimage to Romania, everywhere he went, he was greeted by tens of thousands of Romanian believers, Hungarians and other nationalities, proof that his message of religious communion is appreciated.
In fact, one of the goals of his visit to Romania was to strengthen the dialogue with the majority Orthodox Church and to support the minorities, both religious and ethnic.
“Here – as in many other places in our times – you have felt the Easter of death and resurrection: so many sons and so many daughters of this country, from different churches and Christian communities, endured the Friday of Persecument, passed through the Sabbath of the silence, lived on Sunday of the Renaissance. in prisons, supporting each other. that we “and we walk in a new life” (RM 6,4) “, In May 2019, he told Pope Francis to the believers in all confessions.
