Kiev. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – February 06, 2021 – International News
In the city of Suceava in Romania, a baby died after the baptism ceremony. He was a month and a half old. The tragedy may lead to a change in the ritual of baptism.
It is noted that the child’s heart stopped after he was immersed three times in holy water. The autopsy showed the presence of water in the child’s lungs. The local prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the priest who conducted the ceremony.
Meanwhile, it is reported that an online petition has appeared online calling for a change in the traditional rite. It has already collected more than 60,000 signatures.
Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Callinic supports the reform.
He told the Romanian website Adevarul that he believed that in the future the practice of immersing a child in water would be reconsidered and “the optimal solution would be found for keeping (church – ed.) Sacraments and preventing unwanted incidents.”
“If the baptismal ritual is changed due to the death of a child, it will lead to a split in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Some clergymen are not against the changes, but others have clearly stated their desire to preserve the archaic rite of immersing a child in water with his head, ”the author of the article writes.
The Romanian Orthodox Church is not reformed, the author said, but this tragedy at baptism could lead to change.
In February 2019, the Romanian Orthodox Church called for the recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in exchange for guarantees of the freedoms of Romanian believers in Ukraine.
In July 2019, Metropolitan Epiphanius announced that the Romanian Orthodox Church had temporarily suspended the process of recognizing the PCU due to internal disputes between Ukrainian church leaders.
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