Patriarch Daniel: Cathedral has a capacity of 5,000 churchgoers. It will always be cramped*Service for the consecration of the altar, officiated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Beatitude Daniel The National Salvation Cathedral was consecrated on Sunday by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Daniel, joined by several Romanian and foreign hierarchs, but also by thousands of pilgrims from Bucharest and from around the country. Premier Viorica Dancila, Constitutional Court President Valer Dorneanu, as well as members of the Government were among the officials present. President Klaus Iohannis was invited at the event, but he announced he will be unable to attend because he will be at the extraordinary summit of the European Council in Brussels. In line with the interior space available, the 2,000 official guests had access inside the Cathedral during the Holy Mass. The more than 30,000 churchgoers who came from all over the country to take part in the consecration of the altar of the National Salvation Cathedral waited for hours outside the Cathedral, watching the ceremony on the special screens. Many of them were dressed in folk costumes and carried tricolour flags. “The National Salvation Cathedral has a capacity of 5,000 standing persons, the religious building being cramped for the mass of people who have come for the consecration,” Patriarch Daniel announced. “Until Thursday, all Orthodox believers, men and women, will be able to enter the Holy Altar, kissing the Holy Bible, the Holy Cross and the Holy Table and asking for God’s help in strengthening their good wishes. We congratulate you, those who have come, and we are happy we can measure more realistically now how many persons can fit in the Cathedral sitting on chairs. So, we have room for 3,000 chairs in the Cathedral. When all faithful stand then the Cathedral has a capacity for 5,000. It is still small in relation to the mass of faithful outside. It will always be cramped. When the weather is nicer, we will be able to hold the Holy Mass outside too,” Patriarch Daniel stated at the start of the service. Only official guests had access inside the Cathedral, the thousands of churchgoers who attended the event standing outside the Cathedral where they were able to watch the Holy Mass on special screens. At the end of Holy Mass, all Orthodox pilgrims were given access inside the Cathedral. The Cathedral will remain open to them in the following days too (November 26-29, “days of consecration”), and they will be able to enter the newly consecrated Holy Altar. The events that mark the consecration of the National Cathedral started on Friday. His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch, arrived at the Patriarchal Cathedral on Friday, at 12.45 p.m., being welcomed by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Bartholomew was accompanied by a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchy, and a delegation of the Orthodox Church of Greece, led by His Holiness Father Hrisostom, Metropolitan Bishop of Patra. The Orthodox Church of Greece delegation brought with it the chest containing the hand of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Protector of Romania. The chest stayed inside the Patriarchal Cathedral on the Metropolitan Hill until Saturday, at 4 p.m., when it was placed on the porch of the chapel of the National Salvation Cathedral, where it stayed until 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 25. This moment was followed at 5 p.m. by the commemoration service for Romanian heroes, officiated by the Romanian Patriarch and other hierarchs inside the National Cathedral. ISU fined the constructor of the Cathedral for violating the fire safety rules The People’s Salvation Cathedral does not have a fire safety certification because the structure is not complete yet, the Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Inspectorate (ISU) said on Saturday. “Organiser of the event is the Romanian Patriarchate, who has invited the public to participate in the consecration service of the church. At the moment, the structure is not completed, meaning that there is no question of a fire safety certification, which is the administrative document issued by emergency inspectorates at the completion of the construction before actual commissioning, according to the destination declared by the beneficiary,” according to an ISU press statement. ISU Bucharest-Ilfov mentioned that it has fined the constructor of the cathedral 10,000 lei for violating the fire safety rules, adding that it informed the Metropolitan Bishopric of Muntenia and Dobrogea – the Archdiocese of Bucharest that, under the given conditions, it will be fully responsible for the safety of the attendees. “We also want to mention that on November 23, 2018 ISU Bucharest-Ilfov fined the constructor 10,000 lei for violation of fire safety rules applicable to the construction of a site for this purpose. The penalty was enforced in accordance with the provisions of Article 19(q) of Law 307/2006 on fire prevention, as subsequently amended and supplemented, corroborated with the provisions of Article 6.6.5 of the Fire Prevention and Fire-fighting Technique C300 / 1994 during the execution of construction works and ISU Bucharest-Ilfov also informed the Metropolitan Bishopric of Muntenia and Dobrogea – the Archdiocese of Bucharest that, under the given conditions, it bears full responsibility for the safety of the participants,’ according to the ISU statement The same source announced that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) will ensure through its structures the safe conduct of the consecration of the People’s Salvation Cathedral “to mitigate any risk to the population.” “Since the structure is not technically completed and there is a site nearby that cannot provide 100 percent safety conditions for a large number of participants, the Ministry of Interior has ordered the mobilisation of a large number of firemen , first responders, gendarmerie and police officers to act in the area to mitigate any risk to the population,” the statement said. ISU Bucharest recommended those who want to attend the event to carefully handle sources of fire, to dress appropriately for the low temperatures during this period, especially at night time, not to stand for extended periods of time in the open where temperatures are low, not to…
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President Klaus Iohannis signed on Friday the decree appointing Ecaterina Andronescu as Minister of Education, i a press release issued by the Presidential Administration informs. On Tuesday Ecaterina Andronescu was unanimously nominated by the PSD (Social Democratic Party) leaders for the office of Minister of Education. On the same day President Klaus Iohannis was saying that analysing the proposal for Education “will take a little longer, maybe a whole little longer.” The president mentioned that at an event that took place at the Politehnica University, Ecaterina Andronescu told him she was not interested in this position. “Without being asked, Mrs Andronescu told me though that she wouldn’t go to the ministry, that things are not going well and so on and so forth. (…) Much to my surprise I find out she has been nominated. It will take a while before I figure out whether it is her wish or only the party’s desire or whether there will be a reshuffle piece by piece,” Iohannis explained. Ecaterina Andronescy replaces Valentin Popa who resigned end-September from the position of Education Minister.
On Saturday, November 17, British Council is waiting for the youngsters who are interests in studying in UK, to come to a new edition of the fair called Study UH Exhibition, at the Sheraton Hotel, in Bucharest. Access is free, and participants can register for free on www.britishcouncil.ro. With more than 10 free informational seminars and a fair where they can meet the representatives of the British universities, the event gives the youngsters the opportunity to receive up-to-date information and advice regarding the studies in UK. This year, six prestigious universities will present their educational offer containing university and post-university programmes for those who are willing to continue studying in UK and benefit from an education that is appreciated worldwide. Some of the present universities are top destinations for the Romanian students, such as The University of Manchester or University of Warwick. Furthermore, participants can attend free seminars and presentations held by specialists from UK and Romania, where there will be approached topics like: preparing the application file, choosing the study programme, building a successful portfolio, training for the IELTS test, the admission process or adapting yourself as a student. A novelty of the programme of this year’s edition is given by the “ALUMNI INSIGHTS” SESSIONS with top Romanian graduates from UK, where the youngsters who are interested in the British education in fields like science, IT, medicine or business will be able to find information and advice on being a student, the academic expectations and the professional opportunities. The “Alumni Insights” Sessions will be held on Saturday, November 17, between 13.30 and 15.00, under the Study UK Exhibition. “We are glad that UK continues to be a favorite destination for the Romanian students, and by Study UK Exhibition, we wish to remind them that education has no borders, and in 2019 they will benefit from the same rights and advantages for studying in UK, as well as from all the support to access the programmes helping them reach their potential. By the innovative teaching methods and the research programmes recognized at global level, British universities offer a top education to the young people, and Romanian students bring added value to the campuses in academic and cultural terms”, stated the Director of British Council Romania, Nigel Bellingham. The British education field is one of the most international of its kind in the world. UK continues to be a top destination for the Romanian students, and pupils and teachers from the EU member states and from other countries continue to be more than welcome. The students in European Union will have access also in 2019 to the governmental loans for studying in UK, and the level of the study fees remains unchanged. British universities provide a welcoming environment for the international students, which is also proved by the high level of satisfaction among the students. For more details, please access: https://www.britishcouncil.ro/studii-marea-britanie/education-uk. Study UK Exhibition is organized by British Council Romania, with the support of its partners: The UK Embassy, British Romanian Chamber of Commerce, FISCHER International, IntegralEdu, Liga Studentilor Romani in Strainatate.   The context of education in UK   For the current EU students, as well as for those starting their studies in 2019-2020, there will not be any change in the eligibility conditions to access the governmental loan and related to the study fees. This guarantee applies for the entire period of the studies, even they will be ended after the exit of the UK from the EU. (https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/planning/eu-students [4]) More than 135,000 students from the European Union are enrolled in British universities, representing more than 5% of the total number of students. 8,000 of them are students coming from Romania.   Photo: Octav Ganea    
The power of a nation resides in the cohesion of the people, ensured by functional public and infrastructure systems, and in the solidarity of the citizens, united around common values and projects, defended by fair laws and equal to all, President Klaus Iohannis said in a message issued on Wednesday by the Presidential Administration, on the occasion of the 140th celebration since the union of Dobrogea with Romania. “The lesson that the union of Dobrogea with Romania teaches us today, over the years, is that the power of a nation consists in the cohesion of the people, ensured by functional public and infrastructure systems, and in the citizens’ solidarity, united around common values and projects, defended by fair laws and equal to all,” showed the head of the state. In this context, he said, we honour “the vision and dedication with which the Romanian politicians in the late 19th century planned and implemented a project that led, in just three decades, to the full political, economic and social integration of the region between Danube and the Black Sea.” Iohannis also brought to mind about the message addressed to the inhabitants in Dobrogea by Prince Carol, on November 14, 1978, about which they say that is a “quintessence of the vision on the role of politics and public administration in the transformation and development of Dobrogea.” According to the President, “the proclamation of the union of Dobrogea with Romania 140 years ago shows us that the process of unification of the Romanian historical provinces meant also the edification of our nation, which strongly believes in the values of democracy and in the observance of human rights.” “The infrastructure projects launched with priority have contributed of a decisive manner to the development of the territory between Danube and the Black Sea in the decades that followed the winning by Romania of its independence as a state. Moreover, they implemented such legislative initiatives meant to protect the minorities, ensure the fundamental rights and social harmony, guarantee propriety, develop education and obtaining the economic sustainability of collectivities,” mentioned the head of state.
German ambassador in Bucharest Cord Meier-Klodt said on Tuesday that if the European societies allow nationalism and populism to separate by means of fake news, then they “really have a problem, a much bigger problem than sporadic political lies.” “We have a problem if we allow nationalism and populism to further separate us and divide our societies through fake news, a much greater problem than sporadic political lies. That is why it must equally become a priority to us, diplomats and journalists, to fight strongly against such tendencies with the appropriate levers and with everything we professionally have in what we might call – our cabinet,” the diplomat said at a Romanian-German media conference called “Fake news – a danger to democracy?.” The 5th edition of the Romanian-German media conference is designed for an exchange of ideas and experience between media representatives of Romania and Germany. The event was organized by the German Embassy in Bucharest, in co-operation with Germany’s Deutsche Welle public international broadcaster. Meier-Klodt spoke of a “reinforcement” of what he called the “immune system” in the current social context. “We cannot prevent the fact that we are surrounded, right now, in the flu season, by all sorts of viruses and bacteria. We cannot simply decide to stay home, so we need to strengthen our immune system. That regards each of us and the society, and we need to prepare it to deal with the various attacks,” he said, according to Agerpres. One of the challenges, the ambassador added, is to maintain a united Europe. “A Europe whose strength derives from diversity can only operate in a consensus on common denominators, unity in diversity, at least in relation to the European set of values,” Meier-Klodt said. “We got illuminated about fake news yesterday and today in the Romanian press,” he said, mentioning Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’s statement on Tuesday. Meier-Klodt pointed out that “fake news is not a new phenomenon.” “Even if this impression could easily be created, given the current debates about the post-truth era; intentional untruths have always been part of political communication. The great [Otto von] Bismarck is quoted saying people never lie so much as before an Election, during a war, or after a hunt,” the German ambassador said. “I do not believe that fake news in itself is a danger to democracy as such; it depends on the medium in which it is created and disseminated – social polarisation, mutual mistrust and the tendency towards a conflict-generating struggle initially provides the breeding ground where fake news puts down roots, and it can break the social bond in the long run,” Meier-Klodt explained. Romanian President Iohannis on Tuesday spoke about the “fake news” phenomenon in the current context. “This is what happens when a criminal offender reaches at the top of the country, it’s a trivial thing. And this offender, Dragnea, who has perched up on the top of his party and the state is making progress. Unfortunately not with the quality of public policy, not in the field of the rule of law, but with fake news. What he has presented is what today is called fake news. That used to be called lies, pure and simple; piles upon piles of PSD lies. (…) And if we want to talk about what happened yesterday, I cannot but mention the suitcases,” Iohannis said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Tuesday.