Cornel Lupu

"It wasn’t allowed to pray in the cell, but there were also priests in detention with us and not a single day passed without them serving the liturgy. And we made the liturgy together with the priests. They were doing the ceremonial, while we were singing... We were responding them from the cell. There were priests in the prison. At least one was in the cell with us... They were a few only when we were imprisoned for short periods of time. During the Easter we had situations when, like I told you, that were giving us tonic wine when we were weakened... we always kept a certain amount of quantity from the tonic wine for Easter blessing. And if we could not get it from outside..., there were among the guardians... some faithful and God-fearing men who put us at the window… and when we went for a walk... so we could have find it at the window. The ceremonial was done differently in the cell. They were consecrated by the priest, in those conditions, but we were able to celebrate the Easter."

“While I was staying in the cell at Gherla prison, the door opened and a guard calls me: ‘Come here bandit Lupu!’ This is the way they called us... I presented to the door: ‘Sign here!’ ‘For what, sergeant?’ Well, it says divorce decision.’ And I signed it. I signed it although I wasn’t present to the trial, I knew nothing of this divorce, but I realized that... my wife was persecuted outside: ‘I sign... for her to escape the persecution.’ And going back in the cell... an old man... he said he was a lawyer, former lawyer of the Royal Court... Banescu. Lawyer Banescu. He asked me: ‘What have you signed, mister Lupu?’ ‘Well, I said, the divorce decision.’ ‘You shouldn’t have!’ Then he reacted... ‘You shouldn’t have signed it, mister Lupu! If tomorrow they release you, what do then?’ ‘Mister Banescu, if tomorrow I will leave the prison… I know why my wife took this decision.’ And this is the truth; she was fired from all her jobs.”