Radio România Internațional

Tag: Holy Trinity

  • June 4, 2023 UPDATE

    June 4, 2023 UPDATE

    Pentecost — The majority Orthodox Christians in Romania and the Greek Catholics will celebrate on Monday, the second day of Pentecost, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. On the second day of Pentecost in some areas of the country pots are offered to people, which should be decorated with flowers and be accompanied by a bread ring with a candle on top for those who have passed away. Beautifully decorated plates are also given away for the living. Pentecost or the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles marks the foundation of the Christian Church and is celebrated 50 days after Easter. According to the New Testament, the 12 Apostles, gathered in a house, received the Holy Spirit, who gave them the power to preach in languages ​​they had never spoken before. Following the sermon of the Apostle Peter, 3,000 people were baptized and formed the first Christian community. In churches, on Pentecost day, the faithful receive blessed walnut leaves, symbols of the flames that appeared above the heads of the Apostles, at the time of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.



    Prize – Human rights and human dignity are key elements for the construction of societies characterized by freedom, democracy and solidarity, President Klaus Iohannis said on Sunday, upon receiving the Franz Werfel Prize for Human Rights for the year 2023, during a ceremony held in Frankfurt on Main. The head of the Romanian state showed that for Romania, the people belonging to national minorities represent not only a rich cultural and human heritage, but also a real added value for the whole society. During the ceremony, the Laudatio speech was delivered by Jean-Claude Juncker, former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, who highlighted the merits of President Klaus Iohannis in the fight against corruption, in the observance of the rule of law and the protection of minorities. On Saturday, also in Germany, the Romanian president received the German Civic Award, granted by the Bad Harzburg Civic Foundation, in Dusseldorf. In his acceptance speech, Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romanias support for the European values, which gives legitimacy to the citizens desire to benefit from integration into the Schengen Area. He reminded that Romania fully meets the criteria for integration, managing the external borders with responsibility and efficiency. The foundation decided to award the prize based on the evaluation of the entire political career of the Romanian head of state.



    Visit — King Charles III of Great Britain continues his private visit to Romania. On Saturday and Sunday, the British sovereign walked the streets of Valea Zălanului village in Covasna county (center), where he owns three houses. Dressed casually, the king was welcomed by the locals with flowers. He talked with the villagers and tourists who came especially to see him, and he also visited some picturesque places in the area. I love to come to Romania, said the monarch. Charles III was received, on Friday, at the Cotroceni Palace, by President Klaus Iohannis. It is the first visit that a British monarch pays to Romania, and also the first foreign trip of the sovereign since his coronation, which took place last month. As a Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998 and he declared himself an admirer of the country. He got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine lost, on Sunday, in three sets, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, the match in the round of 16 of the womens doubles in the Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, against Jessica Pegula and CoCo Gauff, both from the USA. Ruse and Kostyuk were seeded 13th at Roland Garros, one of the most important international tennis tournaments.



    Turkey – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on behalf of Romania, for his reconfirmation as President of Turkey and wished him success in fulfilling his new mandate, during the investiture ceremony that took place on Saturday. The event was attended by heads of state and government, ministers of foreign affairs, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Ankara, among whom the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg. He is in Turkey also for discussions aimed at solving the objections of the Ankara administration regarding the ratification of Swedens request for NATO membership. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Romanian officials participation in the ceremony reflects Romanias desire to strengthen the bilateral Strategic Partnership, based on consistent political dialogue and close cooperation in a wide range of sectoral fields. For Romania, Turkey is the second commercial partner outside the EU and the first destination of Romanian exports outside the Union, last year the volume of exchanges registering almost 9.6 billion dollars. Recep Tayyip Erdogan took oath as president for the third time. On May 28, in the second round of voting, he defeated the candidate of the united opposition, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The Turkish leader dominated the countrys politics for 20 years, first as prime minister, then as president, but critics accuse him of authoritarianism and mismanagement of the economy. (LS)

  • June 21, 2021 UPDATE

    June 21, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid-19. Authorities in
    Bucharest announced, on Monday, 26 new cases of coronavirus infection in more
    than 9,400 tests performed. Also, 4 Covid-19 related deaths were reported.
    Currently, there are 158 patients in intensive care. During the peak of
    the last wave of infections in spring, there were almost 40,000 new cases per
    week. The vaccination campaign continues, though at a much slower pace. On
    Monday, authorities announced that 20 thousand doses had been administered in
    the past 24 hours. Some 7 thousand people got the first dose, and 13 thousand
    the second. Since December 27, 2020, when the campaign started, more than 4.6
    million people have been vaccinated in Romania. Of them, 4.3 million have
    received both doses.








    EC. The European
    Commission approved, on Monday, an aid scheme worth 610,000 Euros launched by
    the Romanian authorities to support companies active in the independent
    cultural sector, in the context of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a
    EC press release reads. The measure was approved under the State Aid Temporary
    Framework. The aid will take the form of direct grants. The purpose of the
    scheme is to make up for the lack of liquidity faced by the beneficiaries due
    to the restrictive measures that the Romanian Government had to implement in
    order to limit the spread of the coronavirus.






    Schengen. As of next
    month, Romania and Bulgaria will have limited access to the Schengen
    information system. The Visa Information System will be available for
    consultation, but no changes will be allowed. The decision was made after both
    countries successfully completed a series of technical tests. Full access to
    the Schengen information system will become possible after Bulgaria and Romania
    are fully integrated into the free movement area, the European Commission says.
    Earlier this month, the Commission said it supported the rapid entry of
    Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia into the Schengen area. At present, 22 Member
    States of the Union, together with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and
    Switzerland, are part of this border control-free area.










    Holy Trinity. Orthodox
    Christians and Greek Catholics in Romania celebrated, on the second day of
    Pentecost on Monday, the Feast of the Holy Trinity, a day dedicated to
    Christian monotheism, according to which the Father, the Son and the Holy
    Spirit are three persons in one God. The Christian tradition attributes to the
    three divine persons specific works. The Father created the world out of
    nothing. Jesus Christ saved it from sin. The Holy Spirit blesses people who
    want to have a relationship of faith with God. Faith in the Holy Trinity is a
    dogma established at the first ecumenical synods in the fourth century, when
    the wrong theories called heresies, which introduced hierarchy into the Holy
    Trinity, were fought against. Since then, the Christian faith admits that the
    three persons of the Trinity are equal and in a relationship of absolute love.
    Almost 25,000 police, firefighters, gendarmes and border guards were mobilized
    in Romania to ensure the safe running of the public events held during
    Pentecost.












    Election. The first round
    of France’s regional and departmental elections, postponed by three months due
    to the pandemic and held on Sunday, was marked by an unprecedented absenteeism
    and mixed results. The right-wing Republican party seems to be ranking first after
    the first round. The next positions would be left and far right. The
    presidential party La République en Marche suffered a severe defeat compared to
    its expectations, as it hoped to get around 15%, but managed to get only
    10-11%. The daily Le Figaro talks about a real disaster in terms of turnout.
    Between 66 and 68% of the electorate did not go to the polls. Commentators talk
    about several reasons, including a warning to President Macron, ahead of next
    May’s presidential election. (MI)

  • June 21, 2021

    June 21, 2021

    Covid-19. Authorities in Bucharest have announced today 26 new cases of coronavirus infection in more than 9,400 tests performed. Also, 4 Covid-19 related deaths were reported. Currently, there are 158 patients in intensive care. The week that has just ended marked the best evolution of the pandemic in Romania since March 2020. During the peak of the last wave of infections in spring, there were almost 40,000 new cases per week. In contrast, the pace of the immunization campaign remains low, with only 6,125 people taking the first dose or the single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in 24 hours. It is the lowest level since mid-February. The number of those immunized with the complete scheme exceeds 4,355,000.



    Holy Trinity. Orthodox Christians and Greek Catholics in Romania celebrate, on the second day of Pentecost, the Feast of the Holy Trinity, a day dedicated to Christian monotheism, according to which the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three persons in one Godhead. The Christian tradition attributes to the three divine persons specific works. The Father created the world out of nothing. He alone saved it from sin. The Holy Spirit blesses people who want to have a relationship of faith with God. Faith in the Holy Trinity is a dogma established at the first ecumenical synods in the fourth century, when the wrong theories called heresies, which introduced hierarchy into the Holy Trinity, were fought against. Since then, the Christian faith admits that the three persons of the Trinity are equal and in a relationship of absolute love. Almost 25,000 police, firefighters, gendarmes and border guards were mobilized in Romania to ensure the safe running of public events that take place during Pentecost. The Traffic Police supplemented their staff, especially on the main roads leading to the Black Sea coast or mountain resorts, where most Romanians spend their Pentecost mini-holidays.



    EU meeting. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu attends today, in Luxembourg, the meeting of the EU foreign ministers. The participants will analyze, among other things, the latest developments in the Unions relations with Russia, the peace process in the Middle East, as well as the situation in Belarus, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest. On the sidelines of the meeting, the EU High Representative Josep Borrell hosted an informal working brunch with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tihanovskaia. As for Russia, the head of Romanian diplomacy, Bogdan Aurescu, will reiterate the need for a unitary and strategic approach in relation to Moscow. On the other hand, he will emphasize the importance of increased EU support for the democratization and stability of Iraq and will express Romanias support for organizing an EU mission to monitor elections.



    Belarus. The EU foreign ministers are to discuss today additional sanctions for Belarus, after the Minsk authorities hijacked a passenger plane to arrest an opposition journalist who was on board the plane. The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu says in a message on Twitter that extensive economic sanctions are needed, as well as the promotion of an adequate plan for a democratic Belarus. The European ministers will also talk to Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tihanovskaia about supporting civil society.



    EURO 2020. Bucharest hosts today the match between Ukraine and Austria, a decisive match for the fate of Euro 2020s Group C. The two teams are fighting for the second straight qualification, the first being already secured by the Netherlands, which plays today against North Macedonia. In the same group, Romanias National Arena hosted the matches Ukraine vs. North Macedonia, score 2 – 1, and Austria vs. Northern Macedonia, score 3 – 1, respectively. Bucharest will also host a a round of 16 game, in which the winner of Group F will play, a group that includes Germany, France, Portugal and Hungary. The last matches of Group B are also scheduled for today. Belgium has already ensured its presence in the round of sixteen, but it could still lose the first place if it is defeated by Finland. In the other match, Russia takes on Denmark. (MI)