Sunday, June 19, 2005
HOLINESS GONE OVER THE TOP
I have indicated that I tend to look to the Orthodox in the matter of discernment of spirits. The Orthodox, however, do not have a patent on holiness any more than the Roman Catholics do. Sometimes finding the devil can lead to atrocities just as pretending he does not exist can lead to serious sin. Anything can be overdone. Balance is always essential. The plunge into spirituality can turn diabolical.
From the website:
TANACU, Romania (AFP) - A Romanian Orthodox priest, facing charges for ordering the crucifixion of a young nun because she was "possessed by the devil," was unrepentant as he celebrated a funeral ceremony for his alleged victim.
"God has performed a miracle for her, finally Irina is delivered from evil," Father Daniel, 29, the superior of the Holy Trinity monastery in north-eastern Romania, told an AFP reporter before celebrating a short liturgy "for the soul of the deceased", in the presence of 13 nuns who showed no visible emotion.
He insisted that from the religious point of view the crucifixion of Maricica Irina Cornici, 23, was "entirely justified," but admitted he faced excommunication as well as prosecution, and was seeking a "good lawyer."
Prosecutors said Saturday they had charged the priest and four nuns with imprisonment leading to death, while religious authorities said he would be barred from celebrating liturgy until the investigation was completed. The monastery will be shut if they are found guilty, Father Daniel's superiors said.
Cornici was found dead on Wednesday, gagged and chained to a cross, after fellow nuns called an ambulance, according to police.
Hat tip to Spero.
