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The most important moment of the apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Romania is the ceremony dedicated to the beatification of the seven martyred Greek-Catholic bishops, to be held by the Sovereign Pontiff himself, on Sunday, on the Liberty Field in Blaj, in the presence of 50,000 faithful.
Pope Francis is set to arrive in Blaj on Sunday morning, where he will celebrate the third Divine Liturgy included in the programme of his apostolic visit to Romania, during which service he will also beatify bishops Valeriu Traian Frentiu, Ioan Balan, Alexandru Rusu, Vasile Aftenie, Tit Liviu Chinezu, Ioan Suciu and Iuliu Hossu - the first Romanian Greek-Catholic cardinal. According to the tradition, during the ceremony the Pope will be offered a reliquary with relics and also the objects that belonged to the seven Greek-Catholic bishops.
The procedure of recognition of the martyrdom of the seven bishops lasted for a quarter of a century. Four of the bishops died in the prisons in Sighet and Gherla, with their tombs still unknown, while other three were buried, under the supervision of the Securitate, in the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest.
In fact, the throne on which Pope Francis will sit in Blaj, during the ceremony of beatification of the seven Greek-Catholic bishops, has "strong spiritual and symbolic significations," being made of pieces of wood taken from the architecture of the Sighet and Gherla prisons."
The faithful and Blaj inhabitants will be able to hail and see Pope Francis in three spots in the municipality, on the Republicii Avenue, Liberty Field and in the 1848 Square.
The Holy Father will arrive in Blaj a little after 10.00 am and he will cross the main road in the city, the Republicii Avenue, on his way to the Liberty Field, were, at 11.00 am, he will held the Divine Liturgy with the beatification of the seven martyred Greek-Catholic bishops. Immediately after the religious service, the crowd will be able to hail Pope Francis, a little after 1.00 pm, in the 1848 Square.
Considered to be the most important historic event hosted on the Liberty Field since 1848, the beatification of the martyred bishops, during which they will use the Chalice and Gospel of Valeriu Traian Frentiu, will take place in the presence of 50,000 faithful and 800 Greek-Catholic priests.
Attending the beatification ceremony will also be relatives of the seven martyred bishops.
Before the arrival of the Sovereign Pontiff, starting on 8.00 am, the Liberty Field will host a religious-cultural programme to include prayers and also hymns interpreted by Sava Negrean Brudascu, Veta Biris and Paula Seling. Moreover, actor George Custura will have a dramatic recital dedicated to Iuliu Hossu.
Among the faithful to be on the Liberty Field there will also be 4,600 Greek-Catholics from the Oradea Diocese, out of whom 1,000 are pupils, who will travel by two special trains and also by buses and microbuses. Other special trains will bring several thousands of faithful from the Cluj-Gherla Diocese.
The access to the Liberty Field will be allowed between 6.00 and 10.00 am, during which time all the faithful will have to go through a security control filter. There will be six access points corresponding to the areas indicated on the tickets. The access will be made based on a nominal invitation and identity card, and for children between 0 and 14 years old, their parents will have to bring their birth certificate. The people in the audience will be allowed to have plastic water bottles, a folding chair, a small umbrella, a rain coat, a small backpack, sandwiches. Children under 3 can be brought in a baby stroller.
Also, the access to the Liberty Field will only be allowed in "a decent outfit", according to the solemnity of the event, like an outfit that will covers the shoulders and knees.
The faithful will be guided by 600 volunteers.
After the event on the Liberty Field, the Pope and his entourage will have lunch at the headquarters of the Curia of the Major Archdiocese.
Starting on 3.45 pm, Pope Francis will meet the Roma Greek-Catholic community in the "Barbu Lautaru" neighborhood. In a church in this neighborhood, the Pope will be presented an artistic programme by the children in this neighborhood. The meeting with the Roma community, which represents the tenth part of the Blaj City population, will take place at the end of the apostolic visit that Pope Francis pays to Romania for three days.
During the visit to Blaj of the Sovereign Pontiff there will be six first aid spots in the town, near the CFR Train Station, in the courtyard of the Blaj Municipality Hospital, in the courtyard of the Agricultural High School in the 1848 Square, at the "Barbu Lautaru" Chapel, at the Agro-Food Market in the Liberty Field and near the stage of the Liberty Field.
AGERPRES
