Bucharest, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Romania's Orthodox patriarch, joined by the country's president, unveiled a stone cross at the site where a vast cathedral is to be erected with government help despite a deep financial crisis.
``Many may ask whether in times of poverty and difficulties, it is necessary to undertake such a monumental project,'' President Emil Constantinescu told a gathering of several hundred people in central Bucharest's bleak Union Square.
``Yes, it is necessary. This cathedral can restore our trust in the idea that a nation cannot exist unless it unites around ideals and finds the strength to uphold those ideals.''
The ``Cathedral of the Nation's Absolution,'' has for more than a century been a cherished project of Romania's conservative Orthodox church, which commands the allegiance of 80 percent of the country's 22 million people.
Orthodox clerics have been criticised for failing to prevent the demolition of two dozen churches in the 1980s, including two near the square where the cathedral is now to stand.
Like the construction of the vast Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow, Romania's Orthodox church sees the project as a way of sealing its key role in post-communist society.
The church maintains a conservative influence over social issues. But it has softened its attitude towards other faiths and, despite lingering disputes with Catholics over property, agreed on Thursday it could invite Pope John Paul to make what would be his first visit to a mainly Orthodox country.
``We must build something here to serve as a symbol for Romania,'' Patriarch Teoctist, 82, told the ceremony in the square ringed by grey tower blocks. ``The church is the heart of our society and nation and this square is in the heart of Bucharest.''
Ministers who have had to oversee sharp reductions in budget allocations to meet tough deficit targets have all said they are willing to come up with the money to build the cathedral.
The cost has been estimated for the moment at $5 million and officials have suggested the money could be raised through contributions and a public bond issue.
Initial plans, to be submitted to an international architectural competition, call for a building to accommodate 2,000 people and standing 50 metres (160 feet) tall on an area of just over a hectare (2.5 acres).
``Financing can be solved in due course. We will find the
money,'' Public Works Minister Nicolae Noica said after the ceremony.
``There are so many instances of money being wasted. The actual
cost will depend on how the economy develops.''
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