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The chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, said on Monday that the pilgrimage for St. Demetrius in Bucharest will not be possible.
"I am a faithful man who respects the church, who has always been supportive of the projects of churches in general. On the other hand, the risk is very high, because let us consider the following aspect: very many of the believers that participate in these religious holidays, in these pilgrimages are elderly people that are exposed to very high risks. You know how it works: the parishes organize travel by bus, by minibus in some conditions that we cannot control. The risk of spread exists so long as traveling for hours on end happens. After that, it's hard to ensure the conditions for physical distancing and health protection, and there are some things that take place that can endanger the lives of believers. I am convinced that also in the Orthodox Church there is understanding for this decision of ours and I ask the faithful to understand that we did it solely to protect health," explained Orban at the headquarters of the PNL.
On October 26, Orthodox believers celebrate the feast day of St. Demetrius the Myroblite, and on October 27 the feast day of Dimitrie the New (or Dimitrie Basarabov), patron saint and protector of Bucharest, the relics of whom are housed in the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest.
