The Beatification of Vladimir Ghika

Monsignor Vladimir Ghika, a prince, scholar, priest and martyr will be beatified in Bucharest, on August 31st.

Valentin Țigău, 22.08.2013, 13:45

Monsignor Vladimir Ghika, the Romanian Roman-Catholic priest whose martyrdom for faith was recognised by Pope Francis on March 27th, will be beatified on August 31st in a solemn Mass. Beatification, the act through which the Pope grants the title “Blessed” to a Catholic martyr or to a Christian who practiced all virtues, recognises that person’s capacity to intercede on behalf of the people who pray in his name.

This will be the first beatification ceremony held in Bucharest, and is seen as the most important event for the Romanian Catholic Church, after the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1999. Three cardinals and over two hundred bishops and priests, as well as thousands of believers, are expected to take part in the event.

Monsignor Vladimir Ghika was born in 1873 and was the grandson of the last ruler of the Principality of Moldavia. Baptised an Orthodox, he turned to the Roman-Catholic church at the age of 29, to be, as he himself put it, a better Orthodox. He studied in France and Italy, devoting most of his life to helping the needy, which is why he was dubbed “the Prince of the poor.” In Romania, he opened the first hospital free of charge and opened the first ambulance service.

In 1939, World War II found him in Romania, which he refused to leave, in order to encourage and help the poor and the sick, including during the Allied bombings of Bucharest. After the communists took power, the same reasons prompted him to turn down the offer of leaving the country together with the Royal family. In November 1952 he was charged with high treason, arrested and held in prison, near Bucharest, where he was threatened, beaten and tortured. He died in prison 2 years later, because of the inhuman treatment.

An interesting thing is that although Vladimir Ghika was a Catholic priest, he was granted by Pope Pius XI the privilege of holding religious services both in the Latin and the Byzantine rite. He was a pioneer in many respects, and his work transcended the boundaries of the various denominations and the spirit of his time, paving the way for today’s ecumenism. Once granted the title “Blessed,” Monsignor Vladimir Ghika will be included in the ranks of Catholic saints and will be celebrated in the calendar of the local Catholic Church on May 16th, the day of his martyrdom.

Two other Romanian Christian martyrs have been beatified by the Catholic Church, further to their persecution by the communist regime.