Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Romanian Cleric in Trouble For Long Sermon
Ananova: A Romanian orthodox priest is to live in seclusion for a month after delivering a five-hour funeral service.
Agapie Aurel Rusu has also been ordered to live on just bread and water for the month as a punishment.
The case of the long funeral service has also came under the attention of consumer protection authorities after complaints regarding the things he's alleged to have said during the service.
It's reported the priest wanted to get revenge on the 21-year-old dead man's relatives who had wanted another priest to officiate the funeral.
He talked during the sermon about politics, history and even heart surgery. He's also said to have used many poems to illustrate the sermon.
One of the funeral attendants told Jurnalul newspaper: "I just couldn't hang on in there. I don't remember much of what the priest kept talking about but I think it was all a mock."
Zenovie Mosoiu, a spokesman for the Orthodox Church in Brasov said: "It was a little too much for a funeral service to last five hours. In normal conditions such a service cannot take more than an hour with the priest's sermon included."
Ananova: A Romanian orthodox priest is to live in seclusion for a month after delivering a five-hour funeral service.
Agapie Aurel Rusu has also been ordered to live on just bread and water for the month as a punishment.
The case of the long funeral service has also came under the attention of consumer protection authorities after complaints regarding the things he's alleged to have said during the service.
It's reported the priest wanted to get revenge on the 21-year-old dead man's relatives who had wanted another priest to officiate the funeral.
He talked during the sermon about politics, history and even heart surgery. He's also said to have used many poems to illustrate the sermon.
One of the funeral attendants told Jurnalul newspaper: "I just couldn't hang on in there. I don't remember much of what the priest kept talking about but I think it was all a mock."
Zenovie Mosoiu, a spokesman for the Orthodox Church in Brasov said: "It was a little too much for a funeral service to last five hours. In normal conditions such a service cannot take more than an hour with the priest's sermon included."
