The police have questioned a Bucharest-based man who threatened the papal visit at the Csíksomlyó/Șumuleu Ciuc pilgrimage site. Cătălin Berenghi is suspected of incitement to terrorism, reports Maszol, citing the Facebook post of the ex-Foreign Legion soldier.
After news of the papal visit broke, on January 29 Berenghi posted an image taken from the internet showing a rifle and a site similar to the pilgrimage site with a message to the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Protection and Guard Service: “If the Romanian authorities don’t do anything about it, then maybe we will.”
The Facebook post was reported by users of the social media platform and attracted the attention of the authorities, who interrogated the man, as reported by Berenghi himself in a post published on March 6, saying he was informed that he could be charged with incitement to terrorism. Berenghi also formulated a response to a person he says reported his post, Cadar Tamas, claiming he was only trying to send a message to those who “understand the gravity of things that are going to happen at Șumuleu Ciuc, along with Pope Francis’ visit.”
Unfortunately, his post contains various factual errors that question the validity of his entry. According to Berenghi, at the end of May Csíksomlyó/Șumuleu Ciuc will host a huge pilgrimage, with some one million people brought from Hungary, the majority with Hungarian flags, and that the Romanian flag, along with the Romania national, anthem will be prohibited so that the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán can meet with the pope as if he were in Hungary, his post reads.
Shortly after Romanian newspaper Adevărul published a rumor claiming that Viktor Orbán will meet with Pope Francis at Csíksomlyó, Mr. Orbán’s public relations department denied the allegations, saying, “we don’t deal with fake reports.”
Title image: the image posted by Berenghi on January 29.
