Dozens of paintings with former bishop Corneliu Onilă, convicted for sexual abuse, are still on the walls of the churches in Vaslui. The episcopate shows the churches, the churches to the Episcopate and Patriarchate, and the Patriarchate invokes a whole process. “We don't have this in tradition”

The Episcopate of Hușilor argues that a decision regarding the removal of the paintings could be taken by the priests and the eparchial councils. The priests, on the other hand, say that only the Episcopate or the Holy Synod can decide this. In a response sent to the request of HotNews.ro, the Romanian Patriarchate clarifies the responsibility, but stresses that the elimination of the portraits of some hierarchs or sanctioned clergy does not exist in the Romanian Orthodox tradition.

• Regarding the condemnation of the former bishop of the Huşi, until now the Holy Synod has been officially informed, this will happen in two months, the officials of the Romanian Patriarchate say.
• Since August 2017, Corneliu Onilă “Bârlădeanul” has had the rank of Bishop-relevant, being remunerated, as announced, then, the officials of the Archdiocese of Iasi, and benefited from the house at the Văratec Monastery, a building made available by the Metropolitan of Moldova and Bukovina and was seen in the presence of a member of the Saint Calnic, Archbishop of Suceava and Rădăuți.
• Almost 8 years away, the Romanian Patriarchate specifies that, in fact, the status of withdrawn bishop is similar to the care, so that, at present, a possiblecase of Onilă can no longer be discussed by the Holy Synod.
• Onilă's conviction took place after the disclosures regarding his abuses made by the publication to be light.

The condemnation of the first high hierarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church for sexual abuses creates a new precedent for the Church: what happens to the paintings that represent the hierarchs that fall under the criminal law? Institutions pass their responsibility.

HotNews.ro asked the Bishopric of Hușilor a record of the places of worship in Vaslui county that have on the walls paintings that represents the former bishop Corneliu Onilă Bârlădeanul and asked if at the level of the institution a decision was made regarding them.

Unofficial sources show that there are dozens of churches and monasteries at the level of the whole county that painted Corneliu Onilă on the walls.

The Bishopric of Hușilor did not answer how many such places are, but explained how the former bishop painted on the walls and what these paintings represent.

“The text of the inscriptions (pisans) in which it is shown when, as well as by whom the church was built or restored, as well as its dedication, as well as the representation, in the bottom area of ​​the northern wall, in which the door of the church, of the bishop during which the sanctuary or the painting of the worship is framed, is Icon, having a documentary, historical character, as well as the votive paintings of the founders of that edifice ”, is shown in the response transmitted by the Episcopate of Hușilor.

Episcopate shows to churches

Regarding a possible removal of the paintings that represent Onilă, the officials of the Episcopate of Hușilor claim that only the representatives of the respective places of worship can make a decision in this regard.

“The indications and supervision of the painting of a church, from the specialized commissions of the eparchial center and of the superior church forums aim to respect the erminity of the Byzantine painting and the iconographic plan, remaining at the latitude of the priest and of the parish council the composition of the pisses and the representation of the place or not of the place of the place. To these, ”the officials of the Episcopate of Hotnews.ro said.

The priests: “We can do nothing about ourselves. Only the Episcopate or the Synod”

The hotnews.ro reporter visited several churches and monasteries in Vaslui county, in which Corneliu Onilă is painted. In unison, the priests claim that a decision to remove these paintings “is a great responsibility to be taken by us.”

“We are under obedience, we can do nothing about ourselves. Only the Episcopate or the Synod can make such a decision,” said for hotnews.ro, under anonymity, one of the priests who serve in a church where the painting representing Cornel Onilă.

Painting with Onilă on a historical monument

One of the biggest paintings that represents the former bishop of the Huși is at the Floresti Monastery in Vaslui County, a place of worship in the category of historical monuments Class A.

The spiritual of the monastery, Father Iezechel, states that there were situations, but rare, in which some believers asked him “Yes did you not take this down?”.

“He was painted there because he was a bishop. It is a rule that says the bishop who sanctified the church will be painted there. If the Episcopate says to take him down, we give it. It is a situation with which we have not met until now. A decision must also make the Holy Synod,” says Father Iezechel.

And on the walls of the county hospital church

The paintings that depict Corneliu Onilă are also at the church of the Vaslui County Emergency Hospital, but also to the one in which the protopop of Vaslui, Adrian Chirvase (the Church of the Holy Apostles and Paul) serves. Most, however, are found in the rural area.

None of the priests who spoke to the HotNews.ro reporter was firmly positioned to replace the paintings with Onilă, invoking that they play a documentary role. I argue that they will do it if the Episcopate or Patriarchate will decide.

Patriarchate reaction

HotNews.ro requested a point of view to the Romanian Patriarchate in relation to the portrait of the bishop convicted for sexual abuse in churches.

In the answer, transmitted on Saturday to the editorial, the Romanian Patriarchate clarifies the responsibilities, but with an indication that leaves room for interpretations: there is no in the Orthodox tradition the deletion of the paintings with the hierarchs or clergy sanctioned by the criminal or church laws.

“The places of worship where there are portraits of Corneliu Onilă painted in the period 2009-2017 are the property of the units of worship (parishes or monasteries) in the Episcopate of Hușilor, and a possible intervention on the respective paintings, in the sense of deleting them, must be made with the agreement of the Church Painting Commission, with the approval of the respective Legis. vigor;

Eight years of privileges

Found guilty for rape and sexual aggression in a form condemned after the disclosures made by the publication to be light, Corneliu Onilă was definitively sentenced by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, on April 30, to 8 years in prison. Hotnews.ro asked the Romanian Patriarchate that will happen with the former hierarch on the church line.

Since August 2017, Onilă has had a retired bishop status, but continued to benefit from privileges: housing, but also salary

“He has the right to receive, statutory, like any other bishop who would no longer be in office. Such a home. Now he lives on one side (as a space, it is less than a third) of the house” Partenie Ciopron “from the Văratec Monastery, the one he could make available to the Metropolis. Thank you to those who have properly taken over my words above. Unfortunately, without asking us a point of view, some publications have added other information that is not real. It was said that PS Corneliu “would have remunerated monthly with over 20,000 lei” or that “he would have been served by the nuns from Văratec”. In fact, the net income of PS Corneliu does not even approach a quarter of the mentioned amount (otherwise no head of worship in Romania has a salary of 20,000 lei), and the nuns from Văratec do not serve in any way the former bishop of Huşilor, they have no obligations or obedience (in the monastic terms, in 2018, in 2018, Sturzu, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Iasi.

The journalists from the “Be Light” platform reported that Onilă has repeatedly served in front of the nuns from Văratec, after retiring. .

Here is a photo with Onilă in front of the altar, dressed in priestly straps, including and participating in a religious service with Calinic Botoşănean, at that time bishop of the Archdiocese of Iasi, currently Bishop of Suceava, was published on the Facebook page of the Văratec Monastery. Located near the altar, Onilă wore the epitrahil – or the square – the most important liturgical garment, without which no priest or bishop can serve. The image identified to be light surprised moments from the Resurrection service of 2020.

Onilă will not be careful. The explanation

The representatives of the Romanian Patriarchate claim that, in fact, the withdrawal of Onilă from the activity was equivalent to the care, which is why the former bishop of the Hușilor will no longer be discussed

“Considering the fact that, on August 18, 2017, Bishop Corneliu (Cornel) Onilă submitted to the Holy Synod his request for withdrawal from the service, which was approved on the same day (point 1 of the synodal decision no. Carticit, with an ecclesial status of monk, which is why he cannot be investigated and judged by the Prime Archdiocese, which is the only court of judgment in the hierarchs. That, at present, Cornel Onilă is a careful hierarch, with an ecclesial monah status ”, is shown in the response communicated by the Romanian Patriarchate.

In 2020, when the former bishop of the Huses was detained for 24 hours, the institution had another approach to the situation.

“In the new context of the detention to be held today, we are waiting for the final process of the trial. At the end of it, after the exhaustion of all the judicial actions and the final pronouncement of the court, if it will decide the definitive criminal conviction, the Holy Synod will be able to take the irrevocable decision, the irrevocable decision, Bănescu.