Ghika, prince of charity

“I die with a clear conscience, knowing that I did everything possible for the true Church of Christ, even though I didn’t do as much as I should have for my Country and for the entire civilized world in such sad historical circumstances”. Vladimir Ghika died in the prison of Jilava, near Bucarest, Romania, on May 16 1954, with this profession of faith, spoken out loud after a year of interrogation and torture, weakened, hunger-stricken and in deep suffering, sentenced for his faith in Christ and his faithfulness to the Church.A gift by Pope Francis. Vladimir Ghika, whose martyrdom for the faith was recognized by Pope Francis past March 27, will be beatified on August 31 in Bucharest. “The beatification of Vladimir Ghika is an extraordinary gift not only for the archdiocese of Bucharest but also for the entire Catholic Church in Romania, for our Country, and for the people of his country of birth. By declaring Vladimir Ghika a martyr for the faith, Pope Francis sent a beautiful sign to our Church and to our people”, commented Msgr. Ioan Robu, Metropolitan archbishop of Bucharest.Along the roads of Europe. Born into a Romanian princely family on Christmas day 1873 in Constantinople, where his father served as ambassador of Romania, Vladimir was baptized in the Orthodox Church. He was the grandson of the last prince of Moldavia, and received a refined education in France, where he made the acquaintance of important intellectuals. He then moved to Rome, where he obtained a degree in philosophy and a doctorate in theology. In 1902 he became “de facto” Catholic – as he himself wrote in a short biography – and did his profession of faith in the church of Saint Sabina in Rome. He became a renowned personality, whose merits were highly esteemed in Europe’s intellectual circles, notably the Thomist study circles of Jacques Maritain.A prince of charity. So as not to sadden his mother, devout member of the Orthodox Church, he postponed his decision of entering the priesthood, and on the advice of Pope Pius X, he decided to dedicate himself entirely to lay apostolate. Born a prince on earth, Vladimir Ghika thus became a “prince of charity”. With the Vincentian nun Elisabetta Pucci, from a noble Florentine family, he pioneered the apostolate of healthcare by setting up the first free clinic, an orphanage, and a support centre for the needy. He provided medical assistance to cholera victims and to the victims of the Balkan war in 1913. In 1915 Ghika was in Avezzano, Italy, “with the humanitarian mission ” for aid to the victims of the devastating earthquake. After the death of his mother in 1914, he returned to Rome, where he engaged in diplomatic and charitable activity. Together with his brother Dimitrie, career diplomat, he committed himself to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and the Holy See.Priest at 50 years old. On October 7 1923 he was ordained a priest by cardinal Dubois, archbishop of Paris. He was 50 years old. Two days later Pius XI authorized him to celebrate according to the Roman and Oriental rite. A month later he became a member of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic congresses. After the ordination he decided to be “a poor priest among the poorest”, in the Southern periphery of Paris, Villejuif, where he settled down living in a wooden shack that he divided into three separate areas: the clinic and chapel – to cure the body and soul of the people – and his dwelling place, with only a wooden bench. He continued living in Villejuif until 1930, when he fell sick for the harsh living conditions and for his old age.Sydney, Buenos Aires, Manila… In 1931 the Pope appointed him Apostolic Protonotary. “Nothing will change in my life; it’s just a band around the cassock”, he would humbly say to those that congratulated him. In the meantime, until his definitive return to Romania in 1939, he was appointed dean of the church of foreigners in Paris, where he engaged in cultural and religious activity: he wrote, held conferences, took part in international Eucharistic congresses (Sydney, Dublin, Buenos Aires, Manila, Budapest…), travelled twice to Japan – where he helped found the first Carmel, near Tokyo – visited communities and charity works of the Church, initiated the compilation of the first Catholic-Japanese encyclopaedia. Upon his return to Romania, he carried out his apostolate in Bucharest in the Romanian-Catholic and Greek-Catholic communities. When Communist persecution against the Catholic Church broke out, he refused to seek refuge abroad, so as not to abandon his people. He was arrested in the streets on November 18 1952, while he was paying a visit to an old person: he was put to trial and sentenced to jail. He died in prison with fame of sanctity.