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Bishop Ignatie of Husi sent a message on Wednesday, October 14, on the day of Saint Parascheva, the patron saint of Moldavia, saying that this year, more than ever, the saint bears "the burden of unbelief, of the atheistic hatred of progressives" and also "the burden of the sufferings of the believers," according to AGERPRES.
The church leader reiterated the idea that the pilgrimage to Iasi, banned because of the COVID-19 pandemic, could have taken place in compliance with the measures imposed by the pandemic.
"More than ever, in this pandemic year, when humanity is shaken by a virus that disturbs our health, life, and existence, Saint Parascheva carries the burden of unbelief, the atheistic hatred of progressives in the virtual or real agora, the agony of those who want to annihilate any faint flicker of faith, of the proud, and of those with Luciferic reflexes, who believe in the lie of their illusion that they can quarantine the Saint in her house. Saint Parascheva also bears the burden of the sufferings of the believers, like Job did, from whom, through elaborate arguments and sophistry, the very joy of embracing and meeting face to face with the one I feel, in the power of the word, as 'very useful.' Iasi became for a few days a true wasteland of Carantania, where the Tempter took in a lusciouis, Pharisaic and hypocrite manner, innumerable hypostases, disregarding that the joy of the feast could be carried out by strictly observing the public health recommendations during pandemic and with the belief that all Christians, loving their neighbour, protect both themselves and those around them (...)" the bishop said in a message posted on the website of the Husi Bishopric.
Ignatie has been panned online in the last days for ironising the Saint Parascheva pilgrimage in Iasi having been banned by saying that "the virus is hiding itself around every corner of the churches." The Husi hierarch, who went down with SARS-CoV-2 this September and recovered after two weeks in hospital, said he did not deny the virus, but only criticised the authorities' inability to handle the situation.
