The Romanian Patriarchate this week expressed its sharp criticism of a decision by the central government to cancel the annual pilgrimage organized Patriarchate and the Archdiocese of Bucharest on the feast day of St. Demetrios the New, the Patron saint and Protector of Bucharest — as well as the pilgrimage to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iasi, which is protected by the holy relics of St. Parascheva of the Balkans.
The decision, according to the government, is due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Nevertheless, a Patriarchate spokesman reminded that rite of pilgrimage is a manifestation of religious freedom, and that pilgrims and the Romanian Orthodox Church should be treated with due respect and trust by the country’s authorities.