Priest ordered 'possessed' nun to be crucified

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Deborah
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Priest ordered 'possessed' nun to be crucified

Post by Deborah »

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Priest ... 11417.html
Priest ordered 'possessed' nun to be crucified

A Romanian Orthodox priest, facing charges for ordering the crucifixion of a young nun because she was "possessed by the devil", was unrepentant today as he celebrated a funeral ceremony for his alleged victim.

"God has performed a miracle for her, finally Irina is delivered from evil," Father Daniel, 29, the superior of the Holy Trinity monastery in north-eastern Romania, told an AFP reporter before celebrating a short liturgy "for the soul of the deceased", in the presence of 13 nuns who showed no visible emotion.

He insisted that from the religious point of view, the crucifixion of Maricica Irina Cornici, 23, was "entirely justified", but admitted he faced excommunication as well as prosecution, and was seeking a "good lawyer".

Prosecutors said today they had charged the priest and four nuns with imprisonment leading to death, while religious authorities said he would be barred from celebrating liturgy until the investigation was completed. The monastery will be shut if they are found guilty, Father Daniel's superiors said.

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AdvertisementCornici was found dead on Wednesday, gagged and chained to a cross, after fellow nuns called an ambulance, according to police.

Mihaela Straub, spokeswoman for the police in the province of Vaslui, said Daniel and four other nuns had claimed Cornici was possessed and should be exorcised.

Before being crucified she had been kept shut up for several days, her hands and feet tied and without food or drink, he said.

Cornici had entered the monastery just three months before, after visiting a friend who was a nun there, police said.

As her coffin entered the church of the monastery today no church bells were sounded while nuns cast distrustful glances at the strangers, including two AFP reporters, present at the ceremony.

Claps of thunder from an approaching storm were sometimes the only sounds to break the silence.

"This storm is proof that the will of God has been done," Daniel said.
"You see it?" said the priest, gesturing at the body, lying in an annexe and still showing the marks of the gag.

Daniel has lived for the past four years in the isolated monastery located in the hills of one of the poorest regions of Romania, without running water or electricity.

"Over there, in your world, the people must know that the devil exists. Personally I can find his work in the gestures and speech of possessed people, because man is often weak and lets himself be easily manipulated by the forces of evil," said the bearded young priest.

"I don't understand why journalists are making such a fuss about this. Exorcism is a common practice in the heart of the Romanian Orthodox church and my methods are not at all unknown to other priests," he said.
Sociologist Alred Bulai said corporal punishment was still commonly used in certain Romanian monasteries.

"It's happening particularly in the isolated monasteries, where the superiors have difficulty understanding the current realities and adapting themselves to modern life," Bulai said.

It was not clear why Father Daniel believed the nun was possessed. One parishioner, Dora, said the nun "had to be punished, she had an argument with the Father during a Sunday mass and insulted him in front of the congregation."

Mediafax news agency reported today the Cornici had recently been treated for "schizophrenia" at the local hospital, but the chief of the local child welfare office, Ionel Bratianu, said the nun was "in good health and did not suffer from any psychiatric trouble".

Cornici was raised in an orphanage until the age of 19, when she travelled to Germany to work as a nanny for a family of German doctors. After in-depth psychological and psychiatric tests, the German embassy had declared her apt to take care of children, said Bratianu.

Since the fall of the communist regime in December 1989, the Orthodox church, which represents 85 per cent of Romania's 22 million inhabitants, is rated in many opinion polls as the most trusted institution in the country.

Vitalie Danciu, the superior of a nearby monastery at Golia, called the crucifixion "inexcusable", but a spokesman for the Orthodox patriarchate in Bucharest refused to condemn it.

"I don't know what this young woman did," Bogdan Teleanu said.

What sort of society are we living in?
Church tradition tells us that when John, son of Zebadee and brother of James was an old man, his disciples would carry him to church in their arms.
He would simply say, “Little children, love one another”
After a time his disciples wearied at always hearing these same words and asked “Master why do you always say this?
He replied, “it is the Lords command, and if done, it is enough”
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Mastermind
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Post by Mastermind »

It's not our society it's Romanian society and having lived there for a good half of my life I have to say that it's going down the toilet along with the rest of Europe.
Are you threatening me Master Skeptic?
Felgar
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Post by Felgar »

Mastermind wrote:It's not our society it's Romanian society and having lived there for a good half of my life I have to say that it's going down the toilet along with the rest of Europe.
Wow I didn't know that. Hmm... That doesn't fit in with my mental image of you. :)
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Mastermind
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Post by Mastermind »

Felgar wrote:
Mastermind wrote:It's not our society it's Romanian society and having lived there for a good half of my life I have to say that it's going down the toilet along with the rest of Europe.
Wow I didn't know that. Hmm... That doesn't fit in with my mental image of you. :)
Let me tell you a news story I saw when I was there last time.

Somebody robs some old dude when he was away. Takes his TV, Radio, and whatever else he could find in his house. The old man goes to the police station. He knew who did it and tells them The police tell him that there is nothing they can do and that he should go and bring in the robber. The old man goes and captures the robber, brings him to the police only to have the police arrest him for unlawful restriction of freedom. It was on the news though so I'm guessing the police backed down.
Are you threatening me Master Skeptic?
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