On many occasions His Beatitude Justinian was accused of being a follower of the communist regime. How long have you been a secretary at the Chancellery of the Holy Synod, what was the Beatitude’s attitude with the authorities?

Always Patriarch Justinian has been with the Church. Let us remember that the regime closed the dioceses, removed the hierarchs from the chair abusively, closed faculties and seminaries, made it difficult to enter monasteries, send thousands of priests to prisons. I remember that one day Dr. George Stan shared a personal revelation of Father Patriarch who at one point went to the Securitate, which was then coordinated by Moscow, and demanded the release of imprisoned priests unjustly. He miraculously obtained their deliverance and even reincarnated them in the pastoral ministry. In many situations it has proved to be, as the proverb says, “the right man in the right place.”

We know that in a while, people who had been imprisoned were engaged in patriarchal administration structures. How did the Communists see this situation?

At one time he was even accused by the then authorities of employing “reactionaries.” But Father Justinian replied: “I helped some of you once. Now I’m helping those who need it. They are capable and devoted to the Church and the Nation. “

Among those employed after years of imprisonment, I remember the parents: Benedict Ghiuş at the Patriarchal Cathedral, Grigore Băbuş from the Library of the Holy Synod, Sofian Boghiu from the Antim Monastery, Dumitru Staniloae from the University Theological Institute and Father Anthony Plămădeală from Theological Institute. The latter, after being released, worked at a plastics factory where he made an invention. When she had to be patented, she consulted her personal file and discovered that she was a theologian and priest, which was why she was kicked out. In the Church he was entrusted with the post of chief secretary at the Theological Institute, where I met him very well. I remember that one day he revealed to us that he was called by the Patriarch. He did not receive it in the Cabinet, but in the Patriarchal Palace garden, where he used to invite those with whom he wanted to have more confidential conversations. He told him that Vicar Patriarchal wanted him, but before that he sent him to study in England. And so it was, becoming Vicar Patriarchal, then Bishop of Buzau and then Metropolitan of Transylvania in Sibiu.

What were the relations of the Romanian Orthodox Church with foreign organizations?

They were pretty good! Imagine that in those years we had the opportunity to exchange scholarships. On the one hand, we could go to the West, and on the other hand foreign students could come to Romania. I myself had colleagues from Ethiopia, Uganda, Lebanon, England, and even a Romanian from Canada. Then some colleagues of ours received scholarships in Bulgaria (Sofia), Russia (Zagorsk), India and Ethiopia. Some of them were asked by Romanians abroad as their priests, organized parishes, with the blessing of the Mother Church, and among them I am myself. After me, in Italy, Father Gheorghe Vasilescu came with a scholarship at the Catholic University of Milan. Currently serves the community protected by “Saint Paraskeva” in Turin.

Beatiful Justinian is buried in the Radu Voda Monastery church. Why this?

The Communists tried to close the Radu Voda Monastery. After several battles, the patriarchal administration managed to take possession of it. So that the State of that time should not try to recapture this headquarters in the center of Bucharest, it gave up the honor of being buried in the Patriarchal Cathedral next to the patriarchs, and decided to have a place in the church of Radu Voda Monastery. After the program, he often went to see how the renovation work evolved, and especially to give instructions on how to build the grave. He is said to do so because he previously held the position of seminary director or did not want to occupy the space and so reduced from the cathedral. In fact, he was inspired by St. Stephen the Great’s decision not to be buried in Suceava, but at the Putna Monastery, to make his grave a milestone to the north. Our Patriarch wanted to make his tomb a seal of patriarchal property on the buildings of Radu Voda.

Do you remember a hard time when you were there?

I also benefited from the human opening of Father Patriarch. I was married to Angela in autumn 1969. Those from the personal service of the institution they were working on had to do the restructuring, and the first one they thought was her “because she married a future priest.” When she told me crying, I went into crisis thinking that she might be sorry to have married me or even to abandon me by endangering the dream of my life: ordination to a priest. I went to Father Gagiu, the director of the Patriarchal Administration, and I told him the case. He thought to ask the Patriarch what to do. He then invited me to the office and told me: “The Patriarch said he would not resign, but to ask for the transfer to the Patriarchal Administration, on the same post and with the same salary.” So he did and worked at the Patriarchy’s Workshop Accounting at the Hermitage Monastery until he left for Italy.

When you went to Milan, you took a blessing from His Beatitude. What were the last tips before the road?

On the afternoon of January 10, 1974, I went to the Patriarchal Palace to demand the blessing of going to Italy. I called, the door opened and, from the entrance hall, I saw a black-reverend parent clutching a stack of books in his arms. I said who I am and that I am expected by the Beast. The father with his book-arm twisted a little and said, “Wait a parent, I’ll be right there.” He was the Patriarch. He received me warmly in the Cabinet, told me to respect the authorities in Milan, like the ones in Bucharest, to answer the Orthodox Romanians who ask for religious assistance and blessed me, saying they are waiting for good news. The next morning, on January 11, we left the plane to Milan. I saw him in April 1975 after the establishment of the “Descent of the Holy Spirit” Parish, where I am still serving.

Finally, how do you characterize the personality of the Third Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church?

I believe that Patriarch Justinian was a gift God made to the Romanian people in times of great tribulation. His Beatitude remains in our nation’s history not only as a defender and organizer of the Church, of theological education, of monastic life and of social assistance, but as a defender of faith in times of difficulty, as a great person of the world, as the true priest of the priests, the monks and all the Christians whom he loved and for whom he lived. Eternal to be remembered!

Interview with Father Traian Valdman, the parish priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church “The Descent of the Holy Spirit” in Milan