An unflinching faith in the ultimate victory of the fight for national freedom, for defending the historical legitimate

rights and the existence of the nation, has inspired and united all the romanian people forces in the defining moment in 1877 - the year that Romania conquered, through acts of bravery and great sacrifices on the battlefield, absolute freedom, breaking definitively the state of obedience to ards the !ttoman "mpire# Romania$s entering in the %ar of &ndependence signified the end of a very important step for conquering the state$s sovereignty, sovereignty that had to be imposed through ar to the !ttoman "mpire '1# As in other important moments in the history of the romanians, the orthodox clergy did not remain apart from the rest of the people# (he prime bishop )iclescu *alinic ,on August ', 1877, sends a letter to *arol & to sho his dissatisfaction because +one of the greatest military geniuses of our nation recogni,es that the romanians ere alienated by eapons because of the oppression )uslim# (hat sovereignty shorten the most sacred rights of the country#- '.# /ollo ing the letter, the bishop informs the king that all church servants and ordinary citi,ens ere advised to contribute ith different +offerings- ,and the mothers left their sons to the +blood baptism -, so that the national flag ill be arised in the name of 0od# 1ishop *alinic gives and example of sacrifice made by the queen 23###4 and his 5ighness , successor of ancestral virtues, bandages the ounds of the ones ho fight for the country# Romanian *hurch, as one ho has al ays had taken part in ma6or events can not stay indifferent# (he clerics are accompanying day and night your 5ighness and the fighters on battlefield of glory, ith their prayers#7''# /inally, the bishop gives his hierarchical blessing to the 8ing, saying that the happiest day of his life ill be the one hen he ill thank 0od for the success that 5e cro ned *arol &, speaking the ords of the psalmist 9avid ho said : +;o e kno that the <ord has saved his anointed ith 5is righteous po er# 5e ill hear him from his holy heaven -#'=>?salms 1@A B#7C# /or those moments, the prime bishop *alinic )iclescu prepares special prayers for ar times, invoking 0od2s help# 1efore leaving for the battle *alinic )iclescu +had the honor to bless the s ord given by the romanian army, to its leader# - 'D# (he example of the prime bishop as taken also by other passionate hierarchs# %e can not omit it the orthy of remembrance, bishop Anastasius Etoienescu of RFmnicul ;oului Eeverin, ho in August .G - Eeptember 1, 1877, ent to *orabia and there, being present *arol & and

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;# AdHniloaie, Independent Romania in Romanians History, 1ucharest, Romanian Academy, "ncyclopedic ?ublishing 5ouse, vol I&&, tom# &, .GG', p# BB.# '. 9#A#;#&#*# 1ucharest, Fond ,,Regal House, /older nr# 8J1877, f#1# A;"KA '' 9#A#;#&#*# 1ucharest, Fond ,, Regal House, /older nr# 8J1877, f# 1 f-v, f# . f# '= The Bible or Holly Scripture, 1iblic and )ission &nstitute of the Romanian !rthodox *hurch ?ublishing 5ouse, 1ucharest, 1@@1, p# D7'# 'D Ra,mond ;et,hammer Archevque, Le cas du mtropolite iclesco! "n document longtemps attendu, (yp "berhard 8alt-Lehnder#Loug, "schen, >EuiseC, le 1B septembre 1@'8, p# '#

?rime )inister &on *# 1rHtianu, committed solemn liturgy blessing the army, after hich the romanian army crossed the 9anube# 'B# At RFmnicul Ialcea as put the episcopal infirmary to the use of an military battalion# (he county prefect informed the bishop that the army had no eapons# 1ishop raised money from all over the eparchy ith the help of priests and bought rifles# Eome of the priests gave a ay their salaries to support the romanian army# '7 An important number of romanian volunteers arrived on the battlefield from 1anat, (ransilvania and 1ucovina# Among volunteers, as also *onstantin Eaguna, the nephe of bishop Eaguna, but also young students from 1ucovina# )oreover, young people from the Academic Eociety Arboroasa from 1ucovina hich included *iprian ?orumbescu, *onstantin )orariu >the nephe of bishop Elivestru )orariuC, !rest ?opescul, "ugenie Eireteanul and Laharia Ioronca-all students at the Mniversity of (heology in *hernivtsi, organi,ed a fund raising for the arming of the students from 1anat and 1ucovina ho ere about to 6oin the Romanian army '8# (he mobili,ing exhortations, started from patriotic enthusiasm ere expressing the signal of this moment, aited and prepared for centuries, crucial moment hen there must be proved, tranlated into action, the determination for fighting and the ill unity of the romanian people: -&t2s ritten independenceN !n the Romanian starN *ome everyone, young and old, orship her, romanians# - '@ %ith an patriotic enthusiasm and an christian ,eal, the orthodox clergy contributed, by ord and deed, to the achievement of an national ideal, proving an exemplary dedication -to the holy &ndependence- =G# (he prime bishop )iclescu *alinic as fully a are of the great importance of the historical moment that country as living and he advised the clergy to act as such# &n the %ar of &ndependence from 1877-1878, military priests accompanied the romanian troops on the battlefield, as many monks and nuns ere at the service of the Army$s )edical Eervice as orderlies or stretchers and this time, some prelates, as bishop Anastasie Etoenescu of RFmnic, expressed in a remarkable ay the adherence of 1!R to the ideal of the independence =1#

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Antonie ?lHmHdealH, Thought#ul teachers $ith romanian sensibility, 1iblic and )ission &nstitute of the Romanian !rthodox *hurch ?ublishing 5ouse, 1ucharest, 1@81, p# '8G# '7 Ibidem, pp# '81-'8.# '8 Alexandrina *uOui, Buco%inas &rthodo' clergy and the "nion #rom ()(* , 9octoral 9issertation, scientific coordinator, prof# univ# dr# 9umitru Iitcu, Mniversitatea ,,Ptefan cel )are7 Euceava, .G11, pp# D.-D7# '@ 0eorge Eion, Romanias Star, in Q(he Romanian7, .7 mai 1877, 1ucharest, Apud#R;estor Iornicescu, Archbishop, The accomplishment o# our national unity + Foundation o# the ancient ,hurch unity , *raiova, 1@88, p# .7D# 0eorge Eion as a poet, memoirist and a romanian translator >18..-18@.C# =G 9iac# Pt# *Hlinescu, To %illage priests, in QRomanian !rthodox *hurch7, an &&&, nr# 11, august, 1877, p# DG.# =1 )ircea ?Hcurariu, The history o# Romanian &rthodo' ,hurch, 1iblic and )ission &nstitute of the Romanian !rthodox *hurch ?ublishing 5ouse, 1ucharest, 1@81, pp# 1'.#1''#

1ishop Atanasie Etoenescu addressed several times by circulars and instructions to the priests in his diocese , through convincing advices, to all !rthodox *hurch servants of these parts of the country, in order to -make all their best-, to initiate and organi,e christian and patriotic actions, to -assist those ho are struggling and ho are supporting tasks#- =.# &n the address of 18 )ay 1877, it is ritten: -(he clergy that as all the time beside the nation should not stay back this time either, but ith offerings of all kinds, and by his po ers, to help ease the tasks that oppress the country 3###4# (he serious circumstances that our country is passing through in these times requires to each romanian to come to help it, ith anything they can - ='# !n .G )ay , the high bishop addressed again to the clergy , sho ing that our country suffered from )uslim domination and hich is no in a decisive moment in the liberation from this state , called all to the eapons and ent - to frontlets to fight 3 ### 4 to give the country peace and the ancient rights # - All priests and parishioners ere admonished to al ays pray to the good <ord to arm the romanian soldiers ith strong arms # Also to help overcome the difficulties of the ar, an circular as given on . Suly 1877, hich said : - 3 ### 4 e impose the duty to make ceaseless prayers to the Almighty 0od to send 5is heavenly help to our soldiers and to all romanians , to emerge triumphant from this battle # - ==# !n Suly .7 , it sho that all christians are obliged to have this contribution as sons of the *hurch and citi,ens of the )otherland# (he soldiers ere at the border ready to go into battle , they should al ays be encouraged , supported by the entire nation =D#

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R ;estor Iornicescu, op-cit-, p# .78# A#;#R#, (Frgu-Siu 9epartment, /ond ?rot# Sud# 0or6, /older 1G=J1877, f# .# (he circular from 18 mai 1877# == (he general Archives of the 9iocese of RFmnic and ArgeT, folder 1=J1877, f#11G# =D R ;estor Iornicescu, op-cit-, p# .7@#