Romanian prisoners open hearts
to God’s Word

BUCHAREST, Romania — An inmate of the prison in Giurgiu, located in south-eastern Romania on the border with Bulgaria, who reads the Bible to his seven cellmates, has thanked the Interconfessional Bible Society in Romania (IBSR) for its work. Prisoners are among a number of groups, including orphans and the elderly, to which the Bible Society is reaching out with God’s Word. This work is being undertaken with assistance from the Opportunity 21 initiative.

n (Above) Inmates at Giurgiu prison welcome Scriptures from the Interconfessional Bible Society in Romania. Giurgiu, Romania. Photo: IBSR (ROM02DJ-2); n (Right) Stelian Vasile, one of the inmates at Giurgiu prison who has received Scriptures from the IBSR. Giurgiu, Romania. Photo: IBSR (ROM02DJ-3)

Father Ioan Bufnea, a priest who has been working at Giurgiu prison, has warmly welcomed the involvement of the Bible Society in making the Scriptures available to the prisoners, whom he regards, in a fatherly fashion, as “my boys.”

He hailed the arrival of Bible Society staff as a “special day” and welcomed them “to our prison, to our hearts and to my life.” He told the Bible Society, “We need what you are, what you do and what you are doing for us.”

Burglary

Among the prisoners to whom Father Ioan has ministered is 26-year-old Stelian Vasile, who was sentenced in 2001 to six years’ imprisonment for burglary.

“I discovered God’s Word in 1994,” he said, “and I followed his path for four years. However, I then abandoned the right road, as you can see from my presence in prison. Temptation came and I committed the sin.
“Once in prison, I felt the need for faith and I recently decided to attend church. I contacted the priest, and he asked the prison director to allow me to go to the prison chapel. The director has also permitted visits from local Christians.

Love

“It is hard here because prisoners often use very bad language, but when I read the Bible, my seven cellmates ask me to read aloud to bring them comfort too. I read the Bible all the time.

“The whole Bible is important, but I reflect particularly on passages which speak about love. I read all of them to strengthen my soul and ask God to give his love to me and to my fellow prisoners.

“Reading the Bible releases my soul, and it is such a great relief to have found freedom in God. I don’t feel any anxiety about my future, and I will continue to follow God’s Word when I am released.”