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Father Cleopa About evil, the parable of Paul the fool Father Cleopa was and remains a Golden Mouth John for all Romanians. His sermons and teaching words attracted to Sihastria countless pilgrims from all over the country who were able to contemplate, in the pure and luminous face of the Father, the peace and happiness of heaven and at the same time, to feed themselves with the purest teachings of the Church. Even great theologians, like Father Staniloae (±1993), Father Galeriu and so many listened to Father Cleopa with interest or asked him for spiritual advice. Through the sanctity of his life, won through many hardships, through prayer and fasting, through all-night vigils and obedience in humility, Father Cleopa became, together with other great believers in Christ, like Father Paisie (±1992), Father Arsenie (Techirghiol ), Father Sofian (Bucharest), Father Iachint from Putna (±1998), Father Teofil from Sâmbata and others, the very conscience of our Church. The true believers were never upset by the impotence of the priest or even of their hierarch, because they first of all related to the model of holiness offered by these great Fathers of Romanian Orthodoxy. Through the spiritual force of his example, Father Cleopa represented the backbone of our Church during the hardest times of its existence. For almost 10 years he lived alone in the deepest wilderness of the Neamt mountains, in a struggle like angels, identifying himself and praying for all those persecuted like him for faith, for truth, justice and freedom. At the call of Patriarch Justinian (1948-1977), Father Cleopa came out of the desert to put himself at the service of the monks and the laity, whom he guided spiritually until the end of his life. But no one ever heard him complain about the persecution he was subjected to during the entire time of the communist dictatorship, which relentlessly persecuted him for the immense popularity he had. He knew, better than anyone, that persecution and suffering are allowed by God for people's sins, but not for their loss, but for their salvation. Thus, with the wisdom of the serpent and the innocence of the dove, according to the command of the Savior, Father Cleopas managed, with the gift of God, to always preach to the multitudes who attacked him day and night and to write whole books of spiritual use, through which they built and whole generations will be built. Father Cleopa was also a great clergyman, to whom patriarchs, metropolitans, bishops, priests and countless believers confessed. #ParentCleopaIlie #CleopaIlie #Sermons #OrthodoxChurch #God #ParentCleopa