REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

Marius SILVEŞAN: Romania’s Baptist Churches under the Persecution … 145
A document of 26 May 1954 entitled Resolution as regards regulating the divine
services on Sunday in R.P.R.’s Baptist Religious Cult 10 is extremely interesting, as it
brings its own vision upon solving the issue of the divine-service regulation in Baptism.
Beside the official position of the religious cult, a series of Baptist pastors and leaders
opposed in their turn the new regulations imposed by the Ministry of Cults 11 .
A first example is the one of the minister Ioan Rusu, general secretary of the Baptist
religion, on whom we are informed to have gone to Arad “even when the Pentecostal
leaders were summoned to regulate the new program. At Arad, Ioan Rusu met Ilie
Lipovan, the Pentecostal elder of Hunedoara region, whom he urged not to introduce the
new program as «the Ministry must give up»” 12 .
Ilie Mârza, “Baptists’ president of the region 13 , summoned, on 25 June 1954, A. Z. 7a
14 Aurel Pălăşan from Deva, whom he likewise urged not to introduce the new program.
Pastor Pălăşan Aurel declined Mârza’s proposals, saying he makes the program required
by the leadership of his religious cult. Attempting, on 26 June 1954, a last deal on the
new program, Ilie Mârza categorically refused again” 15 to comply with the regulations
imposed by the Ministry of Cults. As a consequence of his attitude, the proposal is
submitted for him to be withdrawn the membership recognition within the committee of
the Baptist Union, as well as the quality of Baptist minister 16 .
Ioan łopa 17 , pastor of the Baptist Christian Church “Hope” from Bucharest, opposed in
his turn “the regulation of the prayer hours”, for which, in 1955, he was withdrawn the
recognition as pastor 18 . The minister łopa had permanently been in the attention of the
10 Ibidem,1954, file 125, ff. 7-9.
11 Especially in the beginnings of imposing this regulation, they did not want to apply it; therefore
the State switched to repression. “After the imposition of the regulation was successful, at a
certain time, the district and regional commissioners, especially those who had the opponents’
black lists, especially of the ones who, without fear, both pastors and members, have shown their
opposition against the regulation, started punishing them. The pastors were dismissed or had
their salaries cut by order of their commissioners. For some time, a great number of ministers
were dismissed[..]. And some not dismissed pastors’ wages were quite significantly cut, by
subjective order of the commissioners from the Ministry of Cults”, Alexa Popovici, Istoria
baptiştilor din România:1856-1989, Ed. A 2 – a, rev., Editura UniversităŃii Emanuel din Oradea,
Editura Făclia, Oradea, 2007, p. 750.
12 ASSC, collection Direction of studies, 1954, file 125, f. 12.
13 There is about Hunedoara region.
14 Seventh Day Adventist.
15 ASSC, Collection Study Direction, 1954, file 125, f. 12.
16 Ibidem.
17 “Mister łopa from Giuleşti church. He shows that, in the past, the churches were sealed and,
after 23 August, they were opened by the Russians and the Bible was preached on the streets;
today, they are applied the padlock because they do not agree [..] for their hands to be chained”
Țopa, pastor at the Baptist Church from Giuleşti ward of Bucharest, refers to the religiousservice
regulation, which stands for the Church what the hand chains stand for a condemned.
ASSC, collection Study Direction, 1954, file 125, f.118.
18 ASSC, collection Study Direction, 1955, file 128, f. 12.