Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești, Patriarchal Vicar, consecrated on Saturday, 5 September 2026, a new chapel at the Central Detention Facility of the General Directorate of Police of the Municipality of Bucharest.
Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Bucharest Police attended the ceremony, along with clergy serving in the Romanian Orthodox Church and the detention facility.
“With the help of the Good Lord and with the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, today we celebrated the consecration service for this chapel, which will represent the spiritual heart of the Central Detention Facility of the capital,” Bishop Varlaam said.
The hierarch noted that the Romanian Orthodox Church has a long-standing tradition of assigning priests to prisons. He emphasised, however, that this was the first time a chapel had been established in a pre-trial detention facility.
“Here, in pre-trial detention, people experience unprecedented spiritual and psychological turmoil. For this reason, divine and spiritual support is an essential necessity,” he said.
Bishop Varlaam added that, during moments of crisis and decisive turning points in life, a sacred place for prayer, the reading of Scripture, meditation and spiritual counsel can be of “extraordinary benefit.” He also underlined the importance of the chapel for the facility’s staff.
Ioana Dorobanțu, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said that the new chapel reflected “concern for people, respect for their dignity and recognition of the need for spiritual support, especially during times of trial and profound reflection.”
She added that the ministry’s responsibility for public safety must be accompanied by respect for “human values, fundamental rights and the dignity of every person.”
The ceremony was followed by the presentation of ecclesiastical distinctions and diplomas to those who supported the renovation of the building and the establishment of the chapel.
The building underwent extensive renovation, including structural reinforcement, the refurbishment of its installations and woodwork, and the replacement of the roof. The chapel was painted last year, and liturgical objects were subsequently acquired.
The chapel has been placed under the protection of Saint Moses the Ethiopian and Saint Demetrius the New.
Source: basilica.ro
Photos: BASILICA / Mircea Florescu
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