Europe does not reject religion. On the contrary, it values it as part of its cultural and spiritual heritage. Priest Andrei Rusu, of “Saint Dumitru” Church of Chisinau, debunks the circulated falsehoods about the role of religion in European democratic societies. He noted that “Europe is our home, because we, for our part, are Europeans both geographically and spiritually,” IPN reports.
“Europe is the place where we have the opportunity to build our diaspora communities, parish communities in the diaspora, which offers us this possibility. Europe is the place where we still have something to learn from, where we have true charity because our young people who left for Europe felt the true love and this strength of the charity of Christians in Italy or any other European country, when they were in difficulty,” the cleric said in a video distributed by former foreign minister Nicu Popescu.
Priest Andrei Rusu called on the people to show discernment in the choice of information and in understanding that the true Christian value is lived here, at home, but also where the churches still preach Christ.
On October 20, the country’s citizens are expected to go to the polls and vote in a plebiscite on the European integration of the Republic of Moldova. Voters will answer whether or not they agree with the amendment of the Constitution so as to introduce the European course of the country in it. Among the falsehoods about the Church spread in the public space is that if the Republic of Moldova becomes part of the EU, the Orthodox will be forced to become Catholics, and in cemeteries the dead will be buried without crosses. The authorities specify that in Europe the religious beliefs of every citizen are not infringed upon.
