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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-03-16
March 16, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Congratulations letter from Romanian President Emil Constantinescu to
his Hungarian counterpart Arpad Goencz
[02] Events on occasion of Hungarian democratic revolution
[03] If its proposals rejected, PDSR will not vote for the Budget
[04] Radio Cluj anniversary
[05] Patriarch Teoctist shares "the pain of Orthodox believers in Cluj"
[06] A communique issued by the Greek-Catholic Church in Cluj
[01] Congratulations letter from Romanian President Emil Constantinescu to
his Hungarian counterpart Arpad Goencz
On the occasion of the Hungarian National Day of March 15 and the 150-th
anniversary of the Hungarian democratic revolution in 1848, Romanian
President Emil Constantinescu has sent a congratulations letter to his
Hungarian counterpart Arpade Goencz. Expressing the best wishes from both
the Romanian president and the Romanian people, the letter says recalls
that the whole Europe is now comemorating the events in 1848 when, in the
name of freedom and civil rights for all, the unity of our continent was
expressed for the first time in history. "Our people had the wisdom to
learn the lessons of the real history, and this is why the anniversary is
bringing us close together as friends and partners in the new architecture
of cooperation, security and peace for both the continent and the world.
This is a new opprtunity for meditation and dialogue for the real progress
in the friendly relations between our countries and our people", the letter
says. RADOR, March 16
[02] Events on occasion of Hungarian democratic revolution
Had it not been the commemorations by the Romanians' National Unity Party
(PUNR) and the Romanian army on the occasion of the 1848 revolutions in the
Romanian states, the 150-th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution in 1848
would have been passed almost unnoticed in the Transylvanian town of Cluj -
the centre of the Hungarian spirituality in Romania. The 80,000 of ethnic
Hungarians in Cluj seemed extremely disinterested in the event. A mass at
the St. Michael Roman-Catholic church attended by representatives of the
historic churches in Transylvania has opened a series of events. Some 200
people attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the former home of Gen. Bam,
the hero who, in 1848, succeeded in defeating the Austrians in
Transylvania. Other wreath-laying ceremonies included the former Biazzini
Hotel, where both the Hungarian revolutionary poet Petoeffi Sandor and the
Romanian patriots Nicolae Balcescu and George Baritiu were hosted in 1848.
No incidents have occured. At the Orthodox cathedral, the Archbishop of
Cluj Bartolomeu Anania has celebrated a mass in the memory of Avram Iancu.
followed by a wreath-laying ceremony by Romanian troops of the Fourth Army
in front of the cathedral. Soon afterwards, some 150-200 supporters of the
Funar wing of the PUNR and the Vatra Romaneasca Union attended a wreath-
laying ceremony at the Memorandists Memorial and the Biazzini Hotel where
similar ceremonies were attended previously by ethic Hungarians. RADOR,
March 16
Wreath-laying ceremonies at five memorials followed by a traditional march
and a ceremony in the central plaza were signalled in Targu Secuiesc, a
town in the central Romanian county of Covasna. Participants included the
city mayor, State Secrtary with the Ministry of Cluture Kelemen Funor, UDMR
Deputy Tamas Sandor and the Deputy Military Attache with the Hungarian
embassy Koka Zoltan. A Szeckler door was dedicated to the 1848 heroes in
the town of Covasna. RADOR, March 16
Celebrations have taken place in Sf. Gheorghe, the capital city of Covasna
county. The events included a wreath-laying ceremony at the 1848 Revolution
Memorial in Central Park and a tribute show with actors of the Hungarian
State Theatre, choirs and groups in the Hungarian-speaking schools in Sf.
Ghoerghe. The mayor of Sf. Ghoerghe, Kocs Janos made a speech in the
opening ceremony of Petoeffi Sandor Street (former December 1, 1918
Street). The leader of the Covasna branch of UDMR said the new name was
motivated by the fact that Hungarian poet Petoeffi Sandor lived in a house
on that street during the 1848 revolution. Participants at UDMR ceremonies
in Sf. Ghoerghe included local officials, Romanian Tourism Minister Akos
Virtalan and some 2,500 people with Hungariaqn flags and red-white-green
rosettes. Celebrations have also taken place in the town of Targu Mures, in
Cluj-Napoca, Oradea and other towns and cities in Bihor and Harghita
counties. RADOR, March 16
[03] If its proposals rejected, PDSR will not vote for the Budget
At a meeting of his party's Sibiu brancb on Saturday, the leader of the
opposition Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) Ion Iliescu said
that PDSR was not supposed to vote for the Budget if the Government were to
ignore the proposals and budget-making principles the PDSR suggested. Ion
Iliescu the ojections concern the substance of the Budget, and have nothing
to do with the government designated to carry it out. In his turn, PDSR
First Vicepresident Adrian Nastase said that given the economic situation
in the country, the crisis within the governing coalition, the lack of
credibility the government proves, and the existing social tensions, the
early elections were inevitable. RADOR, March 16
[04] Radio Cluj anniversary
The Cluj territorial station of the SSR has celebrated its 44-th
anniversary on Sunday. The special celebration broadcast included music,
poetry, entertainment. Radio Cluj Director Florin Zaharescu said that
participants in his special broadcast included SRR Deputy Director General
Gheorghe Verman, economists and politicians, artists and sponsors of Radio
Cluj. RADOR, March 16
[05] Patriarch Teoctist shares "the pain of Orthodox believers in Cluj"
On Sunday, the Christian Orthodox and Greek-Catholic people celebrated the
second Sunday of Lent. In his address to the Holy Mass at the Metropolitan
Cathedral in Bucharest, Patriarch Teoctist has made some remarks over the
recent incidents in Cluj, when Greek-Catolic groups besiedged the Orthodox
cathedral "disturbing", as the patriarch put it, "the Orthodox believers in
this period of Lent". "Last Friday, I have shared the pain of our Orthodox
brothers and the Archbishop Bartolomeu in Cluj. After the court has ruled
the order, a grain of comprehension and patience could not be found, and
they were all subject to sudden aggression. This is why we share their pain
in the spirit of our faith, and we pray God to calm down those spirits and
feelings of hatred. Love comes from the heart, and it cannot be stipulated
by law. We shall try to persuade Parliament to act and prevent such
incidents by understanding and dialogue as we already did with our Romanian
Greek-Catholic Church sister", Patriarch Teoctist concluded. RADOR, March
16
[06] A communique issued by the Greek-Catholic Church in Cluj
A communique issued by the Greek-Catholic Church of Cluj and Gherla says:
"The situation in Cluj is not a solution but only the beginning of it. The
solution will come only when the abuse will be completely eliminated,
because, it is well known, the abuse was introduced into Romannia by Soviet
troops who broght the Communist regime to power - a regime which, observing
Moscow orders, has arrested all the 12 bishops, the priests and thousands
of believers who then died as martyrs in prisons. When all these abuses
will be admitted and then solved through love, then the solution will be
complete. Despite our broken hearts and painful faith, we give a brotherly
hand and a Christian soul to our brothers who mistreated us, and we call on
them to our confort and embrace, in the name of the same love for Christ we
all share", said the Greek- Catholic communique signed by Archbishop George
Gutiu. RADOR, March 16
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