Parastas service for Pope Francis, at the Greek Catholic Cathedral in Blaj. “Six years ago, he was here with us”
Pope Francis, during the visit of Blaj, June 2019. Photo: Profimedia
A parastas service for Pope Francis was celebrated on Sunday in the Major Archbishop's Cathedral “Holy Trinity” in Blaj by some auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and Făgăraș, PS Cristian, who, the day before, was present in Rome, at the funeral of the Pontiff.
“Yesterday I had the joy of being in Rome, in the name of the Cardinal Lucian, at the funeral of Saint Father Pope Francis, the one who passed to the Lord on the second day of Easter, in the enlightened week. All the celebration, the whole funeral service on the esplanade of the Basilica of Saint Peter, in the Vatican's Basil. Confess it in all his life, with all his power, with every fiber of his, with every word, with each look. PS Cristian.
He added that the Pope came to Blaj, which Innocent Micu-Klein, the one who founded the episcopal city of Blaj, may not have imagined: to come to Rome in his city.
“And the Pope came, he came to embrace us. To convey to us the comfort of Peter and to strengthen us in our faith. Here, in Blaj, I quote, again, Pope Francis, which he said on the Freedom Plain on June 2, 2029, here, in Blaj,” Which Pope came to confirm and strengthen us.
Among the believers who were present on Sunday at the Holy Liturgy and the Parastas service for Pope Francis were the mayor of Blaj, Gheorghe Valentin Rotar, and his son, George Rotar, vice-president of the Alba County Council.
The Greek-Catholic Archbishop by Alba Iulia and Făgăraș was represented on Saturday at the funerals of Pope Francis by the auxiliary bishop, who, at the time of his consecration, was the youngest Catholic bishop in the world.
The bells from all the Greek-Catholic churches of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and Făgăraș, the largest eparchy of the Romanian church united with Rome, Greek-Catholic, were drawn daily, at 12:00, until the funeral of Pope Francis.
More than 100,000 pilgrims were present on June 2, 2019 on the Freedom Plain in Blaj at the Beatification ceremony of seven Greek-Catholic bishops, officiated by the Pontifical Sovereign himself. Pope Francis then met in Blaj and the Roma from the “Barbu Lăutaru” neighborhood, on which the Sovereign Pontiff asked for forgiveness, on behalf of the Church, the Roma community, throughout history, when they were “mistreated”, “segregated” or looked at “in a wrong manner,”
