This year’s pilgrimage to the relics of Saint Pious Paraskeva, organized by the Voluntari mayor’s office, differs from those organized in previous years by the “silence” with which mayor Florentin Pandele treats the event. Public communication seems to be low-key this time, although the pilgrimage has been announced as “grand”, reports Buletin de Bucharest. Despite the fact that the first buses are leaving for Iaşa this evening, the contract of almost one million lei to transport the pilgrims is not shown as awarded in the Electronic System of Public Procurement (SEAP), the cited publication shows.

Florentin Pandele, Mayor of VoluntariPhoto: INQUAM Photos / Octav Ganea

On September 12, a single online ad, identified by Buletin de București journalists, appeared on the Facebook page of the Voluntary Department of Education and Culture, calling on residents of the city north of the capital to make a pilgrimage to Iasi. , Saint Pious Paraskevi. The announcement has been made public, although the tender for the transport of pilgrims is listed as “ongoing”. Practically until the moment of publication of this article, the contract for trainers is not shown as assigned to any company in the Electronic State Procurement System.

However, almost 8,000 people from the city, led by Florentin Pandele, plan to go to Iasi from the evening of October 6, at 10:00 p.m. Almost a million lei was allocated from the funds of the institution for this “holy cause”.

“Silence” before the pilgrimage

Even on the homepage of the website of the Volunteer Town Hall there is no announcement about the pilgrimage.

A poster published by the Education Authority provides logistical information on where citizens who wish to participate can register and what criteria they must meet to travel to Iaşa. At the bottom of the poster, between the Voluntary Local Council and the Directorate, the signature of the mayor of the city, Florentin Pandele, also appears.

In addition to discreet communication with the public, there are also no details of the contract with the transport company, which should ensure the movement of pilgrims from Voluntari to Iasi.

Read in full at Bulletin de Bucharest