The Resurrection of the Christ is the response full of love of God the Father to the mankind’s yell of pain. Info-Prim Neo interview with Bishop Anton Cosa, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Moldova

[– What is the meaning of Easter for Roman Catholic Christians?] – The feast of Easter is for all Christians the fundament of their faith. And for us, Catholics, Christians of Latin Rite, this feast leads us to the center of the Christian message, namely the Resurrection of the Christ, which is the source of our faith and also its amplifier. The Resurrection of the Christ is the response full of love of God the Father to the mankind’s yell of pain, the atonement for original sin. That is why, this mystery of divine love, which descends upon mankind through the painful death and Resurrection of His Son, fills our hearts with recognition and guides us through our lives. To celebrate an event as important as this one, it is not enough to make ourselves ready externally, which by the way is also very necessary, but it is of utmost importance to prepare spiritually for the event. For this, there are various means prescribed by the Holy Scripture, like fasting, prayer and almsgiving, that is, doing of good. They help a Christian make contact with God, meet Jesus as a Lord. If this spiritual encounter between a Christian and Jesus does not take place, then this feast will not be able to produce the expected spiritual fruits. [– How do the followers of the Latin Rite prepare for Easter?] – Starting from Ash Sunday, the beginning of Lent, the Church invites believers to participate more intensely in the prayers and devotions associated with this period, which are meant to usher them in the paschal mystery. By Latin tradition, the most popular devotion is the Way of the Cross, which helps Christians follow, step by step, the events related to Jesus’ way to Mount Calvary, where he was crucified. This devotion takes place thrice a week, before the holy evening liturgy, and attracts big numbers of believers. In addition, the congregation of “Divine Providence” organized a series of spiritual lectures, featuring father Fulvio and D.Th Salvatore Martines, two highly esteemed and renowned churchmen from Italy, who tried to introduce us to the paschal mystery and, what is more, helped us tidy up our souls. There was also a charity event which was held by the Chisinau parish, and probably in other parishes as well, to collect things for the poor. In the Catholic Church any Christian can resort to the holy confession whenever there is need to make peace with God. However it is not a spiritual obligation for everybody to confess and receive the Eucharist in this paschal period. On Easter Sunday the Church dresses in white and gold, colors which are associated with rejoicing; and the organ sings accompanying gospel songs, unlike the period of Lent when the atmosphere is more austere. In fact, during Lent believers should not take part in concerts, merrymaking or other events that dissipate the paschal mystery and this is why no weddings and baptisms are held during this period. All these are allowed after Resurrection Sunday, just like in Orthodoxy. The dietary restrictions are slightly different from the Orthodox practices. There are only two days throughout Lent – Ash Wednesday and Great Friday – when believers are expected to undertake Black Fast, which in our understanding means you can have just one meal that day. Foods made from meat are forbidden only on Fridays. On the other days of Lent the Church does not oblige believers to stick to fasting. However one may do this when there is an inner urge. [– How is it that sometimes both Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on the same date, and other times on different dates?] – The dates seldom coincide. This happens because our Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, while calculating the date of Easter in the same way, use different calendars, that is, the Gregorian and the updated Julian calendar. The canonic law prescribes that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox and this is the rule followed by all Christians, yet then we apply this rule to different calendars, which results in a difference of one or even four weeks from each other. Of course the two Churches should enter an ecumenical dialogue and eventually determine a common date for Easter, considering that Jesus didn’t resurrect twice. Therefore, we shouldn’t be divided on this occasion either. It should be a common feast for all Christians. There were some attempts to this effect, but no unanimity has been yet found. Maybe it is because there are different views in the Orthodox Church, divided between different autocephalous churches. In the Catholic Church it is much simpler to obtain unanimity as there is just one hierarchy. The Catholic believers in Moldova rejoice even more when they celebrate Easter together with the Orthodox believers, because we live surrounded by an Orthodox majority and see how the joy of Easter is less intense when it is celebrated separately. I would advocate a more intense ecumenical dialogue in order to find a common solution that would be convenient for all the parties. [– Which is the difference between the Easter Vigil masses held by the Catholic and the Orthodox Church?] – Every tradition has its own set of rules. The core of the liturgical service is the same, but the way in which it manifests differs in every tradition. In the oriental tradition, for example, the mass is longer in duration and involves more details, whereas our Catholic service is more concise and maybe graver. It is divided in several not very long parts and we know exactly when it starts and when it ends, and it usually does not take more than two hours. The service starts with the blessing of the fire, followed by the preparation of the Paschal candle, the solemn proclamation of the Resurrection, and then it’s the Liturgy of the Word, followed by the baptismal vows, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Similar traditions are in the Orthodox service as well, however it is richer in prayers and gospel songs, which amounts to a longer duration. Since our liturgical service is shorter, everybody stays inside the church from the beginning till the end; whereas in Orthodox churches, when I have the occasion to participate, I can see a continuous to and fro movement, which I think distracts the ones who pray. I do not mean to say that one is better and the other is less good, but I can certainly say that for our churchgoers it is much easier to stay focused on their prayers and participate actively during those two hours, then for those who have to stay awake all night in prayers. However I must admit that we, too, have people who are less attentive, but objectively speaking, it is easer for the people when the service is briefer. Still, I believe that there are more similarities than differences between the two Christian Churches. Yet unfortunately many prefer to stick to the differences. To me they seem unessential. It’s like you’d want to distinguish between two flowers. Both are beautiful, regardless of what they have different. But when you put them together you get an even more beautiful composition. I think that all Christians complete each other. That is why, in the eventuality of a unification of the Christians, I think that nobody has to change his robe, or traditions. Everybody should follow his own practices of praying and of manifesting his faith. One thing would change, in that we’ll start accepting each other like brothers. The message I preach is that we should never miss any occasion to build unity, and this may be done in our everyday lives, through small things, not only through events like meetings between high-ranking bishops or Churches. Every day when people meet, in mixed families, we can forge a healthy ecumenism based on tolerance and mutual respect, which should be the fundament of unity in faith. [– Where do the Catholics take the holy fire from on Easter Vigil?] – The fire comes from burning wood. It becomes holy through blessing. I wouldn’t like to argue with the tradition of the Orthodox Church, which talks about the Holy Fire as of a miracle descended from above. Apart from what is being said, a fire, or a light is holy because it is blessed and because it is received as such, and that is why we do not bring some special fire to our churches. [– How many Catholic churches are in Moldova, will all of them hold Easter services?] – The Roman Catholic Church is organized in one diocese in the Republic of Moldova, including the Transnistrian region. In the 17 parishes in the diocese, Easter will be celebrated in the same way, with the only difference being the number of participating believers, because we have smaller parishes, like in Glodeni, Riscani, Cupcini, Cretoaia, Tiraspol, and bigger parishes, like in Chisinau, Balti, or Sloboda Rascov. [– How many Christians of Latin Rite live in Moldova?] – The 2004 census showed that Moldova, excluding the Transnistrian region, is home to some 5,000 Roman Catholic citizens. We estimate, however, the number to be around 20,000, Transnistria included. The census only helped us discover Catholics in all the districts of the country, people of whose existence we hadn’t been aware of. Of the 17 Catholic parishes, one is of Oriental tradition for the Ukrainian Greco-Catholics living here in Chisinau. We have a minister from Ukraine shepherding them, who is subordinated directly to me. [– How does an Easter menu look in Roman Catholic families?] – Well, very differently. Still, a rule is for us to have red eggs and Easter cakes, and in some homes lamb meat, as well. But menus of course depend on everybody’s possibilities, not everybody can have everything. On the other hand, the Catholic Church has a variety of traditions and different ethnic groups, and so the Poles have their own particularities, while the Germans have other. [– Do the Catholics have a special Easter greeting like the Orthodox Christians do?] Yes, we also say “Christ has risen” and answer “Truly he has risen” for 50 days from Easter, until Pentecost. [– What do you wish for this Easter and what are your wishes for the Roman Catholic community in Moldova?] – In my Easter message which I have published as a Bishop I am calling on all the Catholic community to celebrate this great holiday with much faith. Every Christian shall celebrate thinking of his brothers and sisters, as well, and open his hear to the poor, so that not a single Christian remains deprived of our attention on this great day. At the same time, I personally wish that this holiday would arouse in our consciousness the obligations that we have before our communities, the priests in front of the parishioners, the parishioners in front of the priests, especially since this year the Catholic Church celebrates the Sacerdotal Year, when we attempt to re-discover the importance of priesthood as a gift of God to the believers, to his Church, on our path to redemption. I also which that this holiday, celebrated together with our Orthodox brothers, would bring us closer to each other so as to understand that we are all Christians, all brothers, who should be open to God’s call; remember what John said in Chapter 17 of his Gospel: may all the believers be one, like Jesus is one with the Father. One last think I wish for Easter, to me and the country, is that the feast of the Resurrection of the Christ would kindle in us a new vocation, that of participating more consciously to the achievement of general welfare. For all the citizens of the Republic of Moldova, regardless of the ethnic group they belong to and the language they speak, should support the country’s European aspiration, the precious values that Europe has to offer; at the same time, we must be careful not to lose our Christian identity and, moreover, to help Europe remain Christian.