Journalist Cristian Tudor Popescu explains “what the Cathedral is good for”: “It is a useful building for the Romanian people”

Although he has often criticized the allocation of funds for the National Cathedral, journalist Cristian Tudor Popescu now considers this unique building in the world useful for the Romanian people.

Cristian Tudor Popescu PHOTO: Facebook

In his comment on Sunday, on the Facebook page, Cristian Tudor Popescu addresses the topic of the day, the consecration of the painting of the National Cathedral.

Under the title “What is the Cathedral good for?” the journalist tries to answer, in a personal way, this question, arguing that although a lot of public funds were used, they were used much more responsibly than other investments, which killed people.

“For the majority of citizens of a country, a church can be a strong basis of national unity. Stronger than Romania's culture, language, history, geography.

Romanians are increasingly distant from Romanian culture. Who still reads them today, apart from what the school forces, at least Eminescu, Caragiale, Creangă, Arghezi, Maiorescu or Călinescu, when too few read books today? Who has looked at paintings by Grigorescu, Tonitza, Luchian, Andreescu, Pallady or Țuculescu at least once in an exhibition? How many have gone on a pilgrimage to Târgu-Jiu once in their life to see the Gate of the Kiss, the Column of Infinity, the Table of Silence, to be Brâncuși's hagii?

How many of the history of Romania and the Romanians know anything other than some clichés that were thrown into their heads by the nationalist-Ceauști-Legionary propaganda?

How many Romanians have traveled through Transylvania, Moldova, Wallachia before leaving for the wider world, that now is possible?

As for the Romanian language, it is more and more broken into pieces, we speak different languages, some made of shit, full of insults and ungrammatical threats, others made of sawdust.

Instead, tens of thousands of Romanians, from all over the country, lost nights on the way to come to the consecration of the painting of the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Nation. Which was built with a lot of money, but also with more competence and responsibility than the gas installations that blow up the blocks of the homeland.

Orthodoxy is simple, easy to practice. Most Orthodox Christians in Romania have not read the Bible, not even the New Testament, not to mention the writings of Nicolae Steinhardt, Bartolomeu Anania, Dumitru Stăniloae, Gala Galaction, Mircea Păcurariu or Andrei Scrima. Or the offer of other great religions, Mosaicism, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. They know how to cross themselves, to say God help!, God forbid! God beats you!, If God wants it!, let our Father say, my Angel-angel! And that's about it. They go to church, to relics, pay for weddings, baptisms, funerals of holy parents and hope to receive in return health, fulfillment, money and Heaven after death. It seems advantageous to me.

However, even that alone can be enough to stop people from murder, robbery, rape, fraud, criminal negligence, corruption. Which are many and big in Romania, but they would probably be even more, and bigger, without the church. The fear of God can beat the fear of the police. Social morality can be learned through religion rather than through secular education, which is unfortunately learned on its head.

And the acts of charity of the church or of certain priests can only be for the help and relief of people.

In the first and last instance, most people are afraid to be alone in the face of death. For them, faith in God and the afterlife frees them from this fear. I understand them.

Faith is useful to people, not everyone. That is why I am for state support of the church. And the theaters are budgeted by the state, although not all citizens go to the theater. Some people like church service, others, a play – worship can be placed alongside culture”, write CTP.

What does the church do wrong in the opinion of the journalist?

Cristian Tudor Popescu tries to explain what are the negative sides of the church, considering that from this point of view religion is a dictatorship.

“It extends its grip on medicine. It replaces vaccines with prayers and touching relics. It claims that the communion spoon can be shared, that it does not harbor viruses. Not only priests – there are also doctors who prescribe God as a cure.

He gets involved in politics. Various hierarchs bless Putin and urge to vote for Dumeneila, the paranoid with God in his mouth, liked by the Kremlin. I support racist and xenophobic nationalism, committing the sin called philetism even by the Orthodox Church – putting the nation above humanity as a whole and above divine ordinances.

Until the treasure in heaven, which I promise to the faithful, Godporation collects earthly riches, forests, orchards, vineyards, villas and mercedes. And they defend them with a tenacity comparable to that of magistrates who cling to their special pensions.

Finally, religion is a dictatorship. You are not allowed to criticize the Bible, you must respect it exactly or, at most, follow the canonical interpretations decided by the church. The patriarch is not elected by the vote of all believers, but only by the narrow circle of the Synod. If you have a non-conforming view of the faith, you are anathematized, destined for damnation. Reason, laughter, relativization, freedom of speech, have no place in the practice of faith. By way of consequence, religion has nothing to do with freedom or democracy, in fact it does not like them at all. Orthodoxy leans towards authoritarian state leadership, Ceausianism, Antonesian totalitarianism, legionaryism, strong monarchy, which it is ready to adhere to, as we have seen”, says Cristian Tudor Popescu.

Finally, the journalist concludes that “if I have to draw a line, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the Nation is a useful building for the Romanian people. More useful to the American people than the colossal Ballroom that God Trump is raising by tearing down the White House”.