In mid-August, Cinematon programmed in the context of the anniversary – the actor Radu Botaru turned one year old – a film by Nikolae Merginianu, Cardinal. Inspired by the life and, especially, the sufferings of Cardinal Iuliu Josu, the torture to which, after 1948, the communist authorities subjected six other bishops of the United Romanian Church, as well as politicians and intellectuals such as Iuliu Maniu, Constantin Jurescu, Gheorghe Bretianu, Silvia Dragomir or Alexandru Lapedata ( at the time when the story was written by Mihai Roller), who met in the terrible prison of Sighet. All of them, in one way or another, are related to the implementation or implementation of the Union of December 1, 1918.

The film itself, which premiered in 2019, was created as part of a series of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the creation of Greater Romania. It also happened that on June 2, 2019, on the Square of Svobody Blaž, Pope Francis, who visited Romania, beatified seven bishops – Vasili Afteniye, Valeriu Trajan Frenziu, Ioan Suchiu, Tit-Liviu Chinesu, Ioan Balan, Alexandra Rusa, Iuliu Hossa – who or otherwise appear in the film, the director takes care to honor them as martyrdom was due. Some of them died in prisons, others in their destinations DO (Forced Residence), another sentence, the hero of the film, Bishop Iuliu Hossu, finds himself on August 20, 1975 in a hospital in Bucharest, having spent his last years in the Kalderusani monastery. The stay there is also closely monitored by security.

Cardinal this is not a documentary. It’s not even a feature documentary. This is what is legally called a feature film, which is confirmed by the recognized professionalism of the director, the quality of the image that fell on Gabriel Kossuth, an exemplary soundtrack thanks to the late composer Cornel Sheran, an exceptional acting team.

In the role of Iuliu Hossu, Radu Botar is excellent, Richard Bovnotsky has a decent evolution in the role of the poet Enake Wizan, a fictional character, but whose presence heightens the drama of the film, the scene of his hanging by the police. the captain, the son of an Orthodox priest, the role of the record holder Ioan Andrei Ionescu, being memorable. Earthquake. Veterans Maria Ploae, Mircea Andreescu, Remus Merginianu, Alexandru Repan take turns signing exceptional events. They are joined, among others, by the younger Christian Jacob, Bohdan Nechifor, Radu Banzaru, Tache Florescu, Ovidiu Crisan, very good in the role of a political officer, Alexandru Dunaev, Mihai Biserikanu.

ago Cardinal it is not a documentary, but it is a film whose script, written by Bohdan Adrian Toma, is documented with the utmost care. I say this knowingly, because it so happened that I watched the film directed by Nicolai Marginianu a few days after I finished reading the book by the historian Christian Vasile, Between the Vatican and the Kremlin. The Greek Catholic Church during the communist regimereissued in 2023 in the third edition by the Bucharest publishing house letter. The film strongly emphasizes the idea that the decision to ban the United Romanian Church was imposed by the Romanian communist leaders on the categorical orders of Moscow.

The Romanian communists also tried to force the Greek Catholic believers, as well as the hierarchs, to convert to Orthodoxy. There were concessions, there were refusals, but there was also a large, indicative number of refusals. In a conversation with the captain, Bishop Iuliu Hossu directly stated that “I cannot deny what I have preached all my life”. One of the strong ideas of the film. Cardinal very little insistence on the reprehensible behavior of the BOR. Although they existed as such. Just like there were solidarity actions.

Iuliu Hossu was the person who read the proclamation of the Union in Alba Iulia on December 1, 1918. After that, he and the Orthodox bishop Nicolae Kolan refused to leave Cluj Dictation from Vienna I thought that the sequence of confrontation between the united bishop and the representative of the new power Horti, played strictly by Biro Jozef, was very successful. Iuliu Hossu and the other six Greek Catholic bishops spent difficult years in prison with dignity. In fact, the most coherent and emotional part of the film is the one that focuses on the martyrdom in Sighet prison. The same Iuliu Josu refused, to the despair of the communist authorities, the offer to leave his country as payment for the cardinal rank. San, to which he was elevated, to the annoyance of the communist authorities in Bucharest, by Pope Paul VI. The iconic moment, in my opinion, is when the dignity of the Greek Catholic bishop, well emphasized by the actor Radu Botar, is contrasted with the exasperated frustration of Gheorghe Nenciu, the representative of the Department of Religions, the character sketch by Mihai Biserica is not one to hold back.

The story of Cardinal begins in 1967. Two “Guards” of the new, allegedly patriotic, descend from the black “Volga”. Which has a new leader and takes into account the wishes of Nicolae Ceausescu. One of the two guards is played by Valentin Popescu. They ask Samoil Marza, the famous photographer from December 1 (Christian Jacob), for all the photos of Julius Hossa that he still has. I don’t know if it’s true that Nicolae Ceaușescu really intended to bring Bishop Iulia Hossa to the bicentennial podium, as we are told in the film (there were a lot of rumors about that occasion, including a possible invitation to King Michael I’s celebrations), but I know for sure that he was included in the supervision Cardinal increased, and the Security Service was informed that Julio Josu was looking for documents from that time. A series of flashbacks takes us back to Alba Iulia in 1918, to Cluj in 1940, to the terrible years integral Stalinism, as Volodymyr Tismanyanu called it, and about the horrors of Sighetu and, finally, in the Kelderushani monastery. – Read the whole article and comment on contribuotrs.ro