Rolul femeilor în rezistența duhovnicească împotriva comunismului
The Role of Women in the Spiritual Resistance Against Communism

Author(s): Cristian Vasile Petcu
Subject(s): History, Special Historiographies:, Theology and Religion, History of Communism, History of Religion
Published by: Editura Doxologia
Keywords: spiritual resistance; women; Romanian communism; ecclesia domestica; diakonia of proximity; forgiveness;
Summary/Abstract: The study investigates the spiritual resistance of women in communist Romania and shows how practices of interiority and proximity – communal prayer, domestic catechesis (ecclesia domestica), devotional samizdat, diakonia of proximity (neighbor-serving ministry), forgiveness as a discipline, and witness-bearing writing – functioned as “infrastructures of dignity” capable of sustaining community under conditions of atomization and totalitarian control. The methodology combines archival sources (CNSAS), normative documents, memoir literature, and oral history in a triangulation that avoids both hagiography and cynicism. The case studies (Aspazia Oțel Petrescu; Elisabeta Rizea) exemplify the fusion between the logistical support of the resistance and spiritual resistance (prayer, forgiveness, remembrance), offering a practical canon of lived freedom. The contribution of the study lies in rebalancing the narrative of resistance by making visible the “economy of small fidelities,” largely sustained by women, and in highlighting the post-1989 impact on public memory and civic ethics (from museums and memorial houses to pedagogies of forgiveness). The conclusion affirms the pivotal role of women in preserving moral cohesion and a shared language of meaning – both essential for civic reconstruction after trauma.

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