PM Dancila, PSD's Dragnea on Pope Francis's visit to Romania

The visit of Pope Francis to Romania is not carried out for the Premier or for the President, but for the Romanians, Prime minister Viorica Dancila said on Monday at the end of the sitting of the Social Democratic Party (PSD)'s National Standing Bureau. 

"I'm a responsible person. I said His Holiness Pope Francis will come to Romania next year. I was very clear in what I said. Firstly, I want to clarify one thing: His Holiness' visit is neither carried out for the Prime minister, nor for Romania's President, it is for Romania and for the Romanians. And I wish Romania and the Romanians enjoy this visit, this is what should be taken into account," the Prime minister said. 

The invitation by the Romanian Premier to Pope Francis to come to Bucharest is natural, and the fact that it has been accepted is a good thing for Romania, on Monday said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, leader of the PSD. 

He criticized President Klaus Iohannis for the "offensive way" in which he reacted on this topic. 

"I can see that it is a huge offense any time I or Mrs. Dancila contact anyone abroad. I can see that President Iohannis wants to be in total control and have exclusiveness on everything that means external contacts. I can see that he wishes to run the Government, too, I can see that he wants to rule Parliament as well, it is just that the Constitution that doesn't allow him to. Perhaps it is hard to understand. I can see that he even wants to have authority over the prosecutors in Romania, but he is beyond the Constitution. A prime minister in a democratic state, in a state with minimum mutual respect among the institutions, a person is not boycotted or undermined before, during or after an external meeting they have because they are not having that meeting in their personal capacity. What has lately been happening does no good to Romania," Dragnea said. 

President Klaus Iohannis stated on Saturday in western Blaj that he knows whether Pope Francis is or is not paying a visit to Romania, but that this thing will be made public by both sides when all the details are cleared. 

"I can tell you that I do know, but, at this level, and even in the relationship with the Vatican there are certain rules and very, very clear norms. When absolutely all the details are clarified, then the Vatican and the Presidential Administration will announce the visit simultaneously and not other visitors or people having been in audience by chance," the president said. 

The spokesperson of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, Francis Dobos specified last Friday that the announcement with the Pope's visit to Romania will be delivered simultaneously by Romania's Presidency and the Vatican.