Romanian, European prison chaplains meet to share pastoral best practices

Prison chaplains from Romania and several European countries gathered for the International Conference “Best Practices in Conducting Moral and Religious Activities in Prisons in Romania and Europe,” held last week in Timișoara, Arad and Deva.

The conference opened on 30 June at Timișoara Prison with a Te Deum service officiated by Orthodox prison chaplains, led by Fr Cristian Antonescu, coordinator of prison chaplains within Romania’s National Administration of Penitentiaries.

The programme continued with the blessing of the icon “Assembly of the Holy Romanian Women Saints,” followed by the first session of presentations dedicated to pastoral and missionary work carried out in the prison environment.

The opening day also brought together priests of the Romanian Orthodox Church serving in the diaspora, from Spain, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Malta and Hungary, who presented pastoral experiences from the communities they serve and contributed to an exchange of best practices concerning moral and religious activities in European prisons.

The role of Christian women in prisons The conference continued at Arad Prison with a session entitled “The Pastoral Care of the…