Three days in Rome

Pilgrimage: the Church of Romania visits the Pope. Msgr. Robu (Bucharest), “Meet God’s love and forgiveness”

In these days, for the Catholic Church of Romania, “All roads lead to Rome”. From today to 11 September, about 500 believers, 20 priests, and 4 bishops are meeting in the Eternal City, for pilgrimage during the Holy Year. It is a historical event, because, for the first time, a Romanian pilgrimage to Rome includes representatives of all dioceses and eparchies of the Catholic Church in Romania. The initiative was promoted by the Romanian Bishops’ Conference (CER), and was named “Romania in pilgrimage to Rome”. The group of pilgrims – laymen, religious and priests – is accompanied by Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest and Vice President of CER Msgr. Ioan Robu, Bishop of the diocese of Iasi Msgr. Petru Gherghel, Greek Catholic Bishop of the eparchy of Oradea Mare Msgr. Virgil Bercea, and Roman Catholic Bishop Auxiliary in Bucharest Msgr. Cornel Damian. In the three days in Rome, the pilgrims cross the Holy Door of St. Peter, and pray at the tomb of St. Peter. On Friday, 9 September, all of them together, Roman Catholics and Greek Catholics celebrated the Mass at the Altar of the Chair, in the Vatican Basilica, presided over by Msgr. Ioan Robu. During the homily, the Archbishop of Bucharest recalled that pilgrimage “is the visible sign of the inner journey all of us are asked to do during this holy time, to meet God’s forgiveness”. On Saturday, the pilgrims are present at the hearing of the Pope. On Sunday they are in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus.