- Name: Iosif Sarac (Sărac)
- Born: 19??
- Birthplace: Socialist Republic of Romania
- Overcome Story: Protested church restrictions with 50 other pastors, and eventually exiled from Romania.
- Interview: August 2022
- Links:
Copy of memorandum (PDF)
For his uncompromising stance for the churches’ freedoms Ioisf (Joseph) Sarac was transferred, harassed, watched, and eventually exiled from Romania.
In 1973 along with three others he collected, in secret, signatures form fifty pastors on a memorandum documenting the restrictions that were killing the church. The churches had to get approvals from the party to elect their leaders and baptize members, could not spend their money they way they saw fit, and could only meet once a week.
He says he “lost his fear of death” – and so did all the fifty signers. The memorandum was intended for the communist president of the Socialist Republic of Romania. People had been imprisoned and deported for less, so the danger was real.
His effort did pay off and over 2500 churches obtained freedoms. The memorandum was brought up in negotiation for “favorite nation status” between the US and Romania. Following these negotiation 2500 churches obtained freedoms to meet and organize more freely. The persecution then moved to individuals. People were fined for meeting and praying in homes, were held back at work, and at blocked from going to college.
When they could tolerate him no longer the authorities called him an embezzler and made it so he could not get a job i the entire country. He was found refuge in the USA and helped hundreds of people flee to freedom from his pastor position in the San Francisco Bay area.
Reflection Questions:
- What kind of fear is holding you back from speaking your mind at work, or with your friends?
- How (or why) does the freedom of association for people peacefully praying threaten the government?
- How is a political refugee different than an economic refugee? (intensity, source of threat, etc.)
- How does “go along to get along” create a type of corruption even in the most devout christians?
- Why is Christianity, or the Christian church a threat to tyrants, or totalitarian regimes?