Radio România Internațional

Tag: Christ

June 2, 2022 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT On Thursday the
Government of Romania passed an emergency order under which pensioners with
pension benefits below roughly EUR 400 will benefit in July from financial aid
amounting to EUR 140. The measure is intended to offset the drop in spending
power for vulnerable people, generated by the recent increase in fuel, food and
utility prices. Around 3.3 million people will benefit from the aid. Wednesday
also saw the start of a social voucher distribution programme called ‘Support
for Romania’. The EUR 50 vouchers are intended for over 2.5 million vulnerable
Romanians, and can be used for food purchases.

HOLIDAY Romania, a country
with an Orthodox majority, Thursday celebrated the Ascension of Lord Jesus
Christ, 40 days after his resurrection. Orthodox believers celebrated the event
with painted eggs and traditional Easter meals. Since 1920 Romanians have also
paid homage to their war heroes on Ascension Day. A series of events have been
staged to the memory of Romania’s heroes like religious services as well as
moments of silence in all major institutions across the country. In a message on Heroes Day, the country’s
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said ‘our thoughts of gratitude are today directed
towards those who made the supreme sacrifice for the better destiny of the
generations to come.’

POLL Over 70% of Romanians
blame the war in Ukraine on Russia, according to a poll conducted by INSCOP
Research over May 16th and 21st. Over 87% of the Romanians believe that Russian
leaders must be convicted for war crimes and 65% believe the presence of NATO
and US troops in Romania is a good thing. 50% of the respondents believe
Ukraine will win the war, whereas 26% believe Russia will be the victor.
According to the poll, only 25% of Romanians believe Russia is defending
traditional values against the decadence of the West, as compared to 41% in
February. 67% of the respondents believe that extraction of natural gas from
the Black Sea will significantly reduce the country’s dependence on Russian
gas.

LETTER Romania’s president
Klaus Iohannis has sent a congratulation letter to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on her
anniversary and the platinum jubilee, the presidential administration in
Bucharest has announced. The Romanian president voiced his belief that the
Strategic Partnership between Romania and the UK will continue to be
consolidated in the future, for the mutual benefit of both nations. Starting on
Thursday, Britain is celebrating for 4 days the Queen’s 70 years of rule, the
longest in the kingdom’s history. The government has exceptionally approved a
four-day bank holiday allowing millions to participate in various events staged
on this occasion, such as street parties, concerts and military parades.
According to the BBC, the 96-year-old monarch, who has mobility issues and has
recently cancelled several public appearances, is likely to join members of the
Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch the display.

REFUGEES The government of
Romania Thursday approved the provision of new emergency humanitarian aid
amounting to EUR 185,000 for the management of the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Also
as of Thursday, a governmental information platform is available to Ukrainian
nationals benefiting from temporary protection in Romania. At
protecţieucraina.gov.ro, refugees can find all the necessary information on the
rights and services they can receive, how they can enter Romania or answers to
frequently asked questions in the legal field. The Romanian Border Police
announced that on Wednesday little over 10,000 Ukrainian citizens entered
Romania, down 13% since the previous day. Since the start of the crisis in
Ukraine on February 24, nearly 1.1 million refugees have entered Romania. Most
of them transited the country towards Western Europe, but several tens of
thousands applied for asylum or temporary protection from the Romanian
government. (AMP)

2 June 2022
June 2, 2022

LETTER Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has sent a congratulation letter to
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland on her anniversary and the platinum jubilee, the presidential
administration in Bucharest has announced. The Romanian president has voiced
his conviction that the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the UK will
continue being consolidated in the future for the mutual benefit of both
nations. Starting Thursday, Britain is celebrating for four days the Queen’s 70
years of rule, the longest in the kingdom’s history. The government has exceptionally
approved a four-day bank holiday allowing millions to participate in the
various events staged on this occasion, such as street parties, concerts and
military parades. According to the BBC, the 96-year-old monarch, who has
mobility issues and has recently cancelled several public appearances, is
likely to join members of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace
to watch the display.

EURO According to the 2020 Convergence Report published by the European
Commission, Romania presently does not meet any of the four criteria needed to adopt
the single European currency. In order to adopt the euro, an EU member has to
meet four conditions: price stability, stable public finances, exchange rate
stability and long-term interest rates. According to the report, not only that Romania
doesn’t meet any criteria but the country is also the only member state that is
subject to an excessive deficit procedure opened in 2020. In 2016, Romania met only
three out of the four conditions needed to join the Euro zone.

HOLIDAY Romania, a country with an Orthodox majority, is today celebrating the
Ascension of Lord Jesus Christ, 40 days after his resurrection. Orthodox
believers are today celebrating the event with painted eggs and traditional
Easter meals. Since 1920 the Romanians have also paid homage to their war
heroes on Ascension Day. A series of events have been staged to the memory of
Romania’s heroes like wreath laying, religious services as well as moments of
silence in all major institutions across the country. Bucharest will today see
a commemoration ceremony at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is to be
attended by the country’s president Klaus Iohannis, Defence Minister Vasile
Dancu, and Chief of Staff, Daniel Petrescu. In a message on the Heroes Day, the
country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said that our thoughts of gratitude are
today directed towards those who made the supreme sacrifice for the better
destiny of the generations to come.

POLL Over 70 percent
of the Romanians believes Russia is responsible for the war in Ukraine, shows a
poll conducted by INSCOP Research over May 16th and 21st. Over 87% of the
Romanians believes that Russian leaders must be convicted for war crimes and
65% believes that the presence of NATO and the US troops in Romania is a good
thing. 50% of the respondents believes that Ukraine will win the war, whereas
26% believes that Russia will be the victor. According to the poll, only 25%
believes that Russia is defending traditional values against the decadence of
the West, as compared to 41% in February. 67% of the respondents believes that exploitation
of Black Sea gas will significantly reduce the country’s dependence on Russian
gas

(bill)

2 June 2022
April 17, 2020

GOOD FRIDAY Orthodox believers who are a majority in Romania and Greek-Catholics
are today celebrating Good Friday, the day marking the death on a cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ and his burial. Believers have this year been banned from
attending any outdoor or indoor religious services in order to comply with the
measures aimed at preventing the spread of the COVID pandemic. Christians will
be able to watch religious services broadcast live on various TV channels and
online transmissions.

PROGRAMME A state-sponsored programme on supporting the small and
medium-sized businesses to benefit interest-free and commission-free loans has
today come into effect in Romania. The sum allotted for this programme is 3.1
billion euros for working capital and investment. Finance Minister Florin Citu
said this programme is addressing all small and medium-sized businesses in
Romania, not only those, which have been affected by the pandemic crisis. The
programme is aimed at kick-starting the Romanian economy and 600 thousand jobs
will be supported in the programme’s first stage. Companies willing to benefit
from the programme can register on the platform imminvest.ro.

MINISTER According to Romania’s Prime Minister
Ludovic Orban the peak of the coronavirus pandemic has not been reached in
Romania yet. The Romanian official believes that this peak will be reached in
early May and has again called on citizens not to leave their homes unless
necessary. Orban went on to say that the executive’s intention is that students
take their exams and complete studies at the end of the year as initially
planned. Schools could reopen after May 15th. Authorities have
announced 491 new cases of infection and the number of fatalities stands at
400. Nearly 1000 medical workers have so far tested positive for the virus most
of them in Suceava northern Romania and in Bucharest. 1508 people have been
cured and left hospitals. Romania has so far declared 8067 people infected, 22
thousand have been quarantined while over 50 thousand are in home
isolation.

ORDINANCE Authorities in Bucharest have issued another military ordinance,
number 9. Among other things, the ordinance extends the ban on flights to and
from 10 countries: The UK, Northern Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey,
Iran, Italy, France and Germany. Under the same law, sailors are exempted from
being kept in isolation unless they present Covid symptoms as well as truck
drivers and plane crews. Under the same ordinance, the export of wheat and
other derived products is no longer banned as the state reserves have been completed.

PANDEMIC Since its outbreak in China, the Coronavirus pandemic has killed nearly
141 thousand people the world over, two thirds in Europe. The United States has
reported most of the fatalities 35,688 followed by Italy 21,647, Spain 18,579,
France with 17,167 and Britain 12,868. The crisis’ social and economic impact
has fueled concern among experts who believe the pandemic will bring the end of
economy as we know it. OPEC has anticipated for 2020 a sharp drop in the crude
demand worldwide due to the international economic blockage caused by the
pandemic. Some pundits believe that Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal are in
for deep economic recessions. According to European Commission Chief, Ursula von
der Leyen, Europe needs a new Marshall plan for public and private investment
and the creation of new jobs.

(translated by bill)

17 April 2020
April 27, 2019

EASTER Orthodox believers who are a majority in Romania, together with
their Greek-Catholic counterparts will tonight be celebrating Easter, also
known as the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ, the most important event of
Christianity. On Saturday in Jerusalem, the Greek Patriarch will be holding the
Ceremony of the Holy Light, a regular Orthodox service during which the
Patriarch is to go out of the Holy Sepulchre and share light with the
believers. A delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church is in Jerusalem ready to
bring into Romania the Holy Light by means of a charter plane. At midnight,
churches all over Romania will see special services devoted to Christ’s
Resurrection. Roman Catholics and Protestant believers celebrated Easter on
April 21st.

CAMPAIGN An election campaign for the European Parliament, whose elections
are due on May 26th, kicked off in Romania today. Out of the 13
political groups vying for seats in the European Parliament, there are the
ruling PSD and ALDE, UDMR, the Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well
as the opposition PNL, the USR-PLUS alliance, PMP and ProRomania, a group
formed by PSD dissidents. There are also other extra-Parliament parties in this
election race, such as the National Unity Bloc, UNPR and the United Romania
Party, PRODEMO, the Romanian Socialist Party, and the Independent Social
Democratic Party. There are also three independent candidates vying for seats
in the European Parliament. Romania will have 33 members in the future European
Parliament, but under a European Council decision, the 33rd mandate
will commence only after Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc has produced
judicial effects. 441 polling stations have been set up for the Romanians
abroad, most of them in Italy, Spain and the neighboring Republic of Moldova.
Concurrently with the aforementioned elections, the Romanians are expected to
have their say in a referendum on justice, initiated by the country’s president
Klaus Iohannis.

TABLE TENNIS Romanian-Spanish pair Ovidiu Ionescu and Alvaro Robles
are today taking on their Chinese opponents Long Ma and Chuqin Wang in the
finals of the World Table Tennis Championship in Budpaest, Hungary. In the
semifinals, Ionescu and Robles secured a 4-3 win against the Portuguese Tiago
Apolonia and Joao Monteiro, while Ma and Wang clinched a 4-0 win against
Jingkun Liang and Gaoyuan. Also on Friday, the board of the European Table
Tennis Federation decided that Romania host the 2021 edition of the European Table
Tennis Team Championships. Romania hosted the European Cadet and Junior Table
Tennis Championship in 2018.

MINI-HOLIDAY Over 22 thousand policemen,
gendarme, border police troops and paramedics have been deployed to crowded
areas in Romania to assist traffic and events unfolding during the mini-holiday
of Easter and Labour Day. According to the Interior Ministry in Bucharest, the over
900 public events due to take place during these days, are expected to bring
together one million people. The Romanian authorities are cooperating with
their Hungarian and Bulgarian counterparts to ease traffic at the most crowded
border checkpoints between these countries.

FOOTBALL Former national champion sides, Astra Giurgiu and Viitorul
Constanta will be playing the finals of Romania’s Football Cup. In the
semifinals, Astra eliminated CFR Cluj, while Viitorul defeated CSU Craiova. All
the four semifinalists are also playing in the domestic championship whose leader
is CFR followed by FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest.

FREQUENCIES
Dear friends, Radio Romania International has operated new changes into the
frequencies of its transmissions due to come into effect on April 27th.
So, the RRI broadcast at 3:00 UTC to North America, (the West Coast) can be
received on the frequency of 7375 kHz in the analogue system, while our
programmes to India are carried by 13630 kHz in the DRM system.

(translated by bill)

27 April 2019
Le sculpteur Gheorghe Leonida

Adrian Pârvu, chef du Département de sculpture de Université nationale d’art de Bucarest, explique: « Le sculpteur Gheorghe Leonida est plutôt méconnu en Roumanie. Mort assez jeune, à 50 ans, il est l’auteur du portrait d’une des statues les plus importantes de Rio de Janeiro, réalisées au XXe siècle. Diplômé de l’Université des Beaux – Arts de Bucarest, Gheorghe Leonida a parachevé ses études en Italie et en France. Il se réclamait de l’école française classique de sculpture, étant inspiré, comme nombre d’artistes de son temps, par l’œuvre d’Auguste Rodin. En Roumanie, il existe peu d’ouvrages, surtout des sculptures de nus, signés par Gheorghe Leonida. Par exemple, au Musée national d’art de Bucarest on peut admirer une statue de femme nue rappelant, par la construction des formes, la création de Rodin. Si l’existence le lui avait permis, Gheorghe Leonida aurait pu devenir une des figures de proue de l’art roumain. »

Situé dans le sud de la ville brésilienne de Rio de Janeiro, le célèbre monument figurant le Christ Rédempteur a été conçu pour marquer le centenaire de la déclaration d’indépendance du Brésil. La statue monumentale, réalisée avec l’appui de la France et du Vatican, a été inaugurée le 12 octobre 1931. Représentative du courant art déco, elle mesure 38 mètres de haut (dont 30 pour le Christ et 8 pour le piédestal) et pèse 635 tonnes. L’envergure entre les deux mains du personnage est de 28 mètres. Le socle abrite une chapelle qui peut accueillir 150 personnes. Le moulage en plâtre et la sculpture sont l’œuvre du sculpteur français Paul Landowski. Coopté dans l’équipe qui entama l’ouvrage grandiose en 1922, Gheorghe Leonida, déjà célèbre en France en tant que portraitiste, fut chargé de réaliser la tête du Christ. Nous écoutons Adrian Pârvu : « Le portrait du personnage, réalisé d’une manière plus spéciale, dénote un certain hiératisme, tant par les dimensions que par la thématique. La simplification des volumes, l’exactitude de la forme, le décorativisme des traits relèvent de l’approche moderne de Gheorghe Leonida. Le simple fait de s’être vu confier la réalisation de ce portrait en dit long sur son talent, car il est notoire que cette partie de la sculpture est en général la plus difficile. »

Bien que remarqué pour le raffinement de l’exécution et sa capacité à aborder des thèmes difficiles à rendre en sculpture, Gheorghe Leonida est exclu à tort du panthéon des grands artistes modernes, affirme Adrian Pârvu : « Bien sûr qu’au regard de ses contemporains, tels un Brâncuşi ou un Paciurea, il n’a pas eu la chance de faire montre de toute sa force créatrice. Il n’empêche qu’il compte parmi les représentants de marque de la sculpture roumaine. Il suffit de visiter les musées pour admirer ses œuvres et sa capacité à représenter le corps humain et ses mouvements, à transmettre des idées et des sentiments au travers des volumes. »

Rentré en Roumanie, après la finalisation du projet artistique brésilien, Gheorghe Leonida a continué de sculpter. Il est mort au printemps 1942, en tombant du toit de sa maison familiale de Bucarest. Ses oeuvres sont exposées au Château de Bran (du comté de Braşov, au centre de la Roumanie), au Musée national d’Art et dans d’autres musées importants de Bucarest.

6 January 2016