Provocările familiei creștine astăzi - Cristian Filip (Alianța Părinților), p. Teologos

"Aristide, Aristide..." – he was talking
to Aristide Lefa – "love is the most

powerful weapon in the world, much more
powerful than the atomic weapon."

An Athonite Cell
Joys from Mount Athos

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and

unto ages of ages. Amen. Through the
prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus

Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us! Amen
We are here with Cristian Filip, whom

I have known for some time, who is
the president of the Parents' Association.

Here at our cell and on my initiative,
we are going to do a little... well,

let’s not call it an interview, we will
have a small discussion with Cristian

because the Parents' Association
is sadly a very necessary structure today

for parents and especially for young
people. I would have preferred it

not to be necessary, but unfortunately,
the conditions and especially

the education, when I refer to education,
I don't necessarily mean school education,

but generally the cultural imperialism
of unorthodox beliefs. These structures

unfortunately make this organization
very necessary. Could you tell us

a little bit about what it does?
- The Parents' Alliance is a

non-governmental organization.
It emerged primarily in response

to the increasingly pronounced
tendency of state interference in the life

of the Romanian family, repeatedly
trampling on the fundamental rights

of parents to educate their children
according to their own moral,

philosophical, and religious beliefs.
It arose initially as a reaction to the

growing trend of introducing
comprehensive sexual education

in Romanian schools. Our attention
was drawn to this issue by parents and,

not least, by teachers themselves,
because at that time teachers would

tell us, "Sir, since organizations have
come in and started to introduce

sexual education in schools, we have
practically lost our teaching authority."

- So they were actually forced?
- In a way, yes, because the moment

these organizations came in and
specifically stated, sir, when

the sexual organ is placed on the desk
where the register is, where the teacher

stands and teaches, from that moment
the child no longer sees

the teaching authority in front of him.
- God forbid!

- Yes, and these things happened over time
without sex education having been

specifically included in the curriculum.
Thus, we, a group of parents,

took a stand, and this organization called
Parents’ Alliance of Romania was founded

about six and a half years ago, and
basically, it’s not nice to say so,

but we have been like watchdogs for
the parents, as I said, in response

to the increasingly pronounced intrusions
of the state into family life.

- But I’m thinking now, from what I
understood from you, it is not really

the state, but actually some
non-governmental organizations

that have the initiative, right?
- That's very true, however, these

organizations have managed to exert
influence over the ministries, slowly

but surely, implicitly within the Ministry
of Education, of course, which has

a predominant role, and from there
this tendency to introduce comprehensive

sexual education has started. I’m saying
once again that it's not the same thing.

I mean, it is one thing to provide
a delicate education in the area of

biology and anatomy at a certain age,
and another to want to introduce,

according to the standards of the
World Health Organization, which

stipulates that from the age of four
or six, children should be explained

how it would be good to move toward
the area that is so much discussed now,

called LGBT, how it is appropriate today
to feel like a girl, tomorrow a boy,

the day after tomorrow all kinds
of fluid genders that you no longer

understand anything. And in this context,
it's clear that there's an intervention in

family life so that parents and children
no longer have a natural life as we

have known it for so many years.
Aside from that, trying to introduce

sex education is nonsense because,
thank God, for over 2000 years,

Romanians have constituted a healthy
nation, a nation that has given the world

so many recognized values throughout
history in all fields. That is, we have

inventors in all areas of interest in the
world, from the medical field to Coandă's

famous jet aircraft, of course.
- Yes, I am very impressed by this issue

too. I mean, it's not about, how to
put it, traveling to Mars or artificial

intelligence or new biotechnologies
being a topic for discussion.

It's a very old topic; this area of sexual
problems has been known for a long time,

and of course the results are also known.
- Moreover, I have a definite example.

One of the people who has
spectacularly marked my life, I could say,

is Mr. Dan Lucinescu, with whom I started
on this journey 14 and a half years ago,

when we together founded Father
Arsenie Boca Christian Foundation.

Mr. Dan Lucinescu is one of the former
confessors and political prisoners

who served 15 years in prison.
And I have brought him multiple times

to speak to the youth. We even organized
camps with young people, and one of

the things he would say was this:
dear ones, try to stick to your studies

until you finish high school! You have
time to deal with life's things

after that, like drinking and girls or
boys, depending on what you are,

and so on. I mean, there's another aspect,
if sexual education were to be

implemented, it should start with
scientific terms to understand the fact

that the prefrontal cortex is not
sufficiently developed, that if we want

to talk to the youth, we should discuss
hormones and pheromones. How a girl

should know that if she plans to have
a relationship with a man, with a boy,

well, a young man, if she sits longer
than 16 seconds in his arms,

she will be greatly influenced in her
relationship with this boy by

her closeness to him. Why is this so?
Because that is when the chemical

processes take place, specifically
the pheromones we discussed.

These are simple matters for scientists,
that are known, of course. At a young age

they react emotionally and lack the fully
developed mind, the maturity necessary

for informed decision-making. Condoms
that are not even 100% safe are often

promoted, various methods leading
to abortion are widely advertised,

and I have noticed that over the many
years of advertising, even adults,

some elderly, have internalized this
messaging. Our opponents have effectively

conveyed a troubling narrative: too many
abortions, too many young pregnancies,

and an alarming rise in sexually
transmitted diseases. However, studies

conducted in the United Kingdom,
Denmark, Sweden, Italy, and France,

countries where sex education has been
implemented for over 50 years, reveal

a troubling trend. Since the introduction
of sex education, the number of abortions

has increased, and sexually transmitted
diseases have surged by as much as 500%.

We, as Parents’ Alliance, requested some
documents from the National Institute

of Public Health to understand exactly
what happened over time, from 1990

onward, because until ‘90 abortion
was prohibited. And we found a significant

decrease in the number of abortions
up to today compared to the year 1990

when one of the first laws passed at
that time... very, very interesting

what the government did back then.
The Romanian government, let’s call it,

enacted the law granting freedom
to choose abortion. Following that

decision, the number of abortions
surged in 1990, and since then,

it has been significantly decreasing.
This decline does not imply that

they ceased entirely. It is likely that
not all cases are recorded by

the Institute of Statistics, as many
private clinics operate outside

the official count. However, a growing
number of doctors across Romania

recognize that abortion is not merely
a termination of pregnancy, a technical

matter; it is, in fact, a crime against an
innocent child who cannot defend himself.

- A crime... Yes...
- As adults, we must remember that one

always pays a price for transgressing.
- Obviously.

- And sometimes it could be... I don't
want to say something bad especially

from a theological point of view,
that is to say that it could be justified.

We have the case of war now, right?
Some argue, “We are defending ourselves;

we can shoot the others or kill them.”
A rationale exists in that man’s mind.

What justification do you have to kill
a child in the mother’s womb?

- Yes, and especially the mother
being the one who does it…

- Exactly, with the mother's consent.
Often, mothers make this choice

under outside pressure—from parents,
society, or the partner with whom…

- The father, yes…
- Exactly, yes.

- But beyond these technical, medical
effects, are there also spiritual

and psychological consequences,
are there traumas that...?

- Always, always. From all the discussions
I’ve had over the years, I’ve heard

many testimonies from mothers who
have terminated their pregnancies,

who have had abortions, and afterward
have experienced all sorts of psychotic

episodes, cancers, and personal tragedies,
often finding they can no longer bear

children although they deeply desire to.
Fr. Theologos: Yes...

- Today, we are talking exactly about
this demographic winter, this negative

birth rate that has dramatically decreased
the Romanian population.

- Negative birth rate means births fall
below sustainable levels, where

more people die than are born.
- Exactly. Let’s not forget we had

a census this year.
- Yes. And?

- We concluded that our population
has decreased by several million...

- Seriously?
- Yes, I don’t know how many millions,

18, 19?—have participated in the census
in Romania. We had reached between

22 and 23 million. At this rate, where
are we headed? Estimates suggest that

in a few decades, Romania's population
could dwindle to 10 million. Professor

Ioan Aurel Pop, President of the Romanian
Academy, has stated that a territory

that's no longer populated will inevitably
be inhabited by others. Is this what

we want for Romania? Should others come
and populate our ancient Romanian land?

- What exactly does the Parents'
Alliance do?

- Over the past six and a half years,
the Parents' Alliance has repeatedly

intervened in the public sphere
with memoranda, notifications, and...

not least, even protests when necessary,
addressing various topics of general

interest, at a time when, effectively,
the interest of parents and children

was affected at a national level.
Because the interference I speak of

extended beyond the attempt to introduce
sexual education in Romanian schools.

It has escalated into an effort to
re-educate parents, calling them

to schools to be prepared and to agree
to explain to their children that

it's good to agree with the new gender
ideologies, with all the garbage.

Look, as it turns out, the West has
brought us some good, but it has also

introduced many extremely serious
challenges for our society.

- Exactly... I believe the price we pay
for technological convenience and

advancements is, in essence, the price
of our souls, it is the spiritual price,

which is a significant cost.
- Unfortunately, yes... Over time,

we have taken concrete actions
regarding protests but also amendments,

repeatedly. We have a legal office at
the Parents' Alliance that is deeply

committed and sacrificial.
Fr. Theologos: May God bless them!

- The key figure here is Marina Ioana
Alexandru, our lawyer, supported by

Adrian Aciu, but over time, many others
have also contributed to the efforts

of this legal office. Their sacrifices
over the years have been extraordinary.

Fr. Theologos: May God bless them!
- May the Lord help us! For the cause

of the Romanian family, particularly
concerning the mandatory vaccination

issue where... People are unaware,
for the most part, some believed

it was about vaccinating children,
not understanding that the law mandated

vaccination for the entire Romanian
population. And we even faced absurd

accusations from individuals who claimed
we opposed technology, science and so on.

This was because they believed it was
about children, vaccinating children.

When they found out that it also included
the vaccination of adults, so this story

included them too – “oh, but that doesn't
seem right anymore!” So what kind

of parent are you?
- You sacrifice your child…

- Exactly. The situation was
very insidious. What people failed

to understand about that law was
the concept of presumed consent.

Presumed consent assumed that
regardless of your position,

you are considered to agree to...
- Oh, so you are implicitly agreeing.

You must act to disagree...
- In this context, lawyer Marina Alexandru

made an extraordinary remark to
a health minister. She said, "Madam

Minister, in a situation where presumed
consent is understood to apply to

mandatory vaccination, it implies that
the individual lacks discernment.

This means that neither you nor anyone
in the leadership of this country

possesses discernment.
How can we resolve this issue?"

They realized, of course, that it was
absurd and, for now, things have

calmed down, so to speak...
Fr. Theologos: Glory to God!

- Indeed, these events unfolded before
the pandemic, which only intensified

the turmoil.
- Oh, so it happened before the pandemic?

- This was before the pandemic, certainly.
So the challenges were very,

very insidious, cunning, I don't know,
even persistent, and they are escalating

on more and more fronts. Of course,
many parents recognized this and

grew angry with the so-called authorities
—those we believe no longer represent

the interests of the Romanian nation.
Today, much of what is done seems

to oppose the Romanian ethos, the
national identity, and the very existence

of our people. It is undeniable!
- How do you see the situation

in the future?
- As people of God, I believe we must

look to the future with hope. I think it's
crucial to return to our roots and reflect

a little on the past in order to secure
a bright future. What am I thinking about?

I am thinking about the fact that parents
must embrace their roles seriously,

engaging with their children not just
with authority but, first and foremost,

with love. When you approach your children
with love, they see you as a model,

and they carry that example forward
into their lives. Our educators must

somehow reclaim the same model of love.
Why is this so? I reflect on our history,

such a rich and beautiful history,
and one example comes to mind right away.

Before us lies a book titled
"The Poetry of Prisons,"

and I think of Nichifor Crainic, a man
born into an extremely modest family,

so they could hardly support themselves
materially, and at that time his family

would have greatly needed to have him
continue to support them to get by.

And yet, Nichifor Crainic at that time
had an exceptional teacher, his name

was Constantin Stâlpeșteanu, who
recognized the potential, the genius

that the little child – at that time,
Nichifor – had. And he urged Nichifor's

father to allow him to continue his
education instead of keeping him at home

to work the land, tend to animals and
so on. His father was a peasant like many

Romanian peasants throughout history,
genius, with a pure soul, and when you

have a pure soul, God gives you the grace
to understand many things. Ultimately,

he decided to send him to school,
and since they had no money for tuition,

what did he do? He sent him to study
theology at the seminary.

Gaining admission was difficult,
even back then, there were all sorts

of arrangements, and both his father
and the teacher Stâlpeșteanu were aware

that it would be very hard to get in.
His only chance was to get in first,

and then they had no choice but to let
him in, and he attended the seminary.

From there he became the great...
Fr. Theologos: So he placed first?

- Yes, he was among the top three
and became a great thinker of our nation,

the one who initiated the current of
"Gândirism" and we know the whole story.

Fr. Th.: Exactly. University professor.
- Indeed, he brought God into

the Faculty of Theology through
Dostoevsky. He introduced Dostoevsky

to Romanian theology, teaching courses
that even Father Arsenie Boca attended,

those of Nichifor Crainic.
A monumental figure in our history.

- Speaking of fathers, how do you view
parental rights over children and

the relationship between parents and
children, especially today when children

often react immediately when something
happens? This is particularly evident

in the West.
- Yes, here I think it’s also love that

serves as the foundation, because
if you approach your child with love,

educating them in a spirit of compassion,
purity, and closeness to the church,

I don’t think any issues of not
recognizing parental authority

can arise anymore.
Fr. Theologos: Yes, yes. Of war...

- Exactly, because it's something that is
earned naturally. A leader, for instance,

is recognized by others; they don't impose
themselves through force. I was thinking

about the animal kingdom, where dominance
is established through strength.

But in the case of humans, a leader is
someone acknowledged by their peers,

much like parental authority is recognized
by others. I’m thinking here of one of

my closest friends, Aureliu Surulescu,
with whom I founded – speaking of leaders

– a civic platform called Lider [Leader].
I remember one evening, as we shared

stories from our childhood, he spoke of
how his father’s word was law. He would

simply look up or glance in a certain way,
and though he had a strong personality

as a child, he never argued. This is why
I believe authority is earned naturally

through the example you set as a parent.
- Exactly. You must be an example.

- The same authority exists at school.
Let’s not forget that there are countless

teachers who don’t need
to be harsh with children, and yet

the children listen to them.
- Obviously.

- Why is this so? Because they convey
something. I truly believe in the power

of the soul that is transmitted from one
person to another. I have an example

of a former colleague from the Father
Arsenie Boca Christian Foundation,

who graduated in Theology and became
a religion teacher. At one point

I asked her, “Hey, how is it at school
with the kids, how do you manage?”

Because everyone was saying the children
are becoming increasingly wild, unruly,

loud, you don't get along with them
anymore. Why is that? Because they

come from homes burdened by the
misunderstandings between their parents,

and there are many layers to this.
And she replied, “Only now

do I understand how much God
loves us!” An extraordinary realization.

- Yes, yes.
- How? Well, she says, “You can only hold

these kids in line with a lot of love.”
That idea stuck with me, and I connected

it to how deeply God loves us.
Well, if you, as a teacher, struggle with

30 children from the same country
and similar backgrounds, how does God

manage billions of people from all walks
of life? It’s a thought worth pondering

deeply...
- Very beautiful! With great attention

and much gratitude, I believe, yes…
- Exactly, exactly, yes. So that’s how

I see it briefly– love is what solves
everything. Let’s not forget what

Valeriu Gafencu, known as the Saint
of the Prisons, once said in prison.

He told his friend there in prison,
"Aristide, Aristide..." – he was talking

to Aristide Lefa – "love is the most
powerful weapon in the world,

much more powerful than the atomic
weapon." And here we are, at a moment

in history where we face a dramatic
situation nearby, somehow. Yes, I had

forgotten we are no longer in Romania
now; we are in a different Romania.

Here, at Lacu Hermitage, I truly feel
this other Romania.

- That's right.
- So we are in the vicinity of a war,

people are more and more frightened
and tense, scared of what lies ahead,

not realizing that love can resolve
everything. We do not realize that

it starts with each of us, from within us.
If we each manifest this love now in a

historical context where normally
Romanians could look quite harshly

at Ukrainians and yet they responded
remarkably in history, before God,

through the way they helped and
welcomed them. Also brother

Aureliu Surulescu said that a Ukrainian
told him - "Well," he says, "we wouldn't

have done such a thing in your place."
- Yes, obviously...

- He says, "We would have waited for you
with guns at the border and would have

shot you one by one." So this is what
a Ukrainian said, but what did we do?

As Father Justin Pârvu used to say -
after he got out of prison, he was at

the Monastery of Bistrița, and
at one point the man who tortured him

in prison shows up at the monastery.
His abbot told him, "Give him something,"

since he was in charge of the bee hives.
And he replies, "He gave me gall, and

I gave him honey.”
- Glory to God!

- Yes, so this is the Romanian ethos and
if we embrace this ethos, we reintegrate,

we return to our roots, we have every
chance for a bright future for our country

and our children. Therefore, what should
we pass on to our children? Let’s pass on

love to our children!
- Exactly! So, in the end, talk about

the spiritual life in the family and the
relationship with God...

- Absolutely, we have no choice.
We, as a family, are the small church.

We, as a family, are the small church. Our
relationship with the Church starts from

our home, from the way we relate to that
church of which we are an integral part.

I think again of our ancestors, as Father
Dimitrie Bejan used to tell. He described

how his parents knelt in prayer each
evening before the icons, with their

three children gathered around and the
mother would say, “Lord, what should I do?

This child is a little naughty, the other
is well-behaved, but I don’t know how

to handle this one.” The father would
place his hand on their heads and say,

“Lord, today I had nothing to feed them.
The hen didn’t lay enough eggs, and

the cow didn’t give milk.” And, the next
day, the cow would provide milk,

and the hen would lay eggs. Life is so
simple, yet it has grown complicated

today for our children and for us because
we hand them TikTok and smartphones.

We think we’ve solved the problem.
Instead of spending time with them,

giving our time to our children, we have
other things to do. We have a match

in the Champions League, we have,
I don’t know, anything else, we have

to make money. Sure, I’ve given
them money; I’ve done my part.

It doesn’t work that way! I’ve been
a poor example in this regard.

In my youth, I was caught up in the same
distractions. God allowed me to understand

this later on, but now, this is what I can
say from my own experience and that

of those I've known in this life.
- Thank you very much! I believe Romania

still has a bright future ahead, even if
it may be a bit painful at times.

I believe the Romanian people have shown
their worth, especially in their relationship

with the Ukrainians, and there is
much devotion in our nation.

I believe that devotion exists, and God
will not extinguish this flame.

- I believe even more than that. Besides
this ethos that we need to focus on,

there are still people who also consider
the pragmatic side of things. There are

people who consider the pragmatic side
of things. These are individuals who

sacrifice their time and family life to
stand before God and answer the question,

“What have you done for this nation?
What have you done for these generations?”

And in this regard, I want mention
the fact that a few months ago,

this civic platform appeared in Romania,
The League for the Awakening of Romania,

briefly named LIDER, at the initiative
of the Neamunit Association

and Aureliu Surulescu, which managed
to unite several organizations from the

Romanian civic area, organizations that
have done something over the years

in the civic realm and that are trying
to come together to further defend

the rights of Romanians, our rights
to express ourselves beautifully

on this God-blessed land called Romania.
Looking ahead, LIDER aims to create

a different kind of Romania—one that is
more beautiful, where Romanians feel

at home and comfortable both in their
skin and in their country.

- May good God help us! Through the
prayers of our Holy Fathers,

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on us! Amen.