Romania’s controversial archbishop of Tomis officiates Great Blessing of the Water for Epiphany

The Archbishop of Tomis, Teodosie, officiated the service of the Great Blessing of the Water on Monday, December 5, blessing water barrels in front of the Archiepiscopal Cathedral “Saints Apostles Peter and Paul.” Importantly, the Epiphany and St. John the Baptist's Day, January 6-7, mark the end of the winter holidays in Romania.

The blessed water will be bottled into 300,000 PET bottles, which will be offered to the faithful on Epiphany day, Tuesday, January 6, according to News.ro.

After the blessing of the water, Teodosie went to the church “Dormition of the Mother of God,” located in the park by the Danube, in the town of Hârșova. From there, a procession set toward the bank of the Danube, the Port area, where the service of the Great Blessing of the Water will be officiated later in the day. Teodosie will throw three crosses into the waters of the Danube, which will be retrieved by brave young men, as is tradition.

The next day, starting at 7:30 AM, the Archbishop of Tomis will officiate the Holy Liturgy at the Archiepiscopal Cathedral “Saints Apostles Peter and Paul” in Constanța. Then, starting at 11 AM, the traditional Epiphany procession will follow, from the cathedral to Tomis Tourist Port.

There, church officials will once again officiate the service of the Great Blessing of the Water. At the end of it, the Archbishop of Tomis will throw three crosses into the waters of the sea, which symbolize the Manifestation of the Holy Trinity at the waters of the Jordan.

At 3 PM, Teodosie will officiate the service of the Great Blessing of the Water on the floating stage in the town of Ovidiu.

Teodosie is a controversial figure in the Romanian Orthodox Church. In May 2024, Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) announced that it sent Teodosie Petrescu, the Archbishop of Tomis, to trial for influence buying. In the same case, an advisor within the Archdiocese of Tomis is investigated for complicity in buying influence. Archbishop Teodosie is one of the most influential representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

(Photo source: screen capture from service broadcast by Arhiepiscopia Tomisului on Facebook)