Monday, April 27, 2026, 10:44 a.m
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Illustrative image priest PHOTO Pexels
A conflict broke out in the early morning on Sunday, April 27, in a place of worship in Târgu Jiu, urgently mobilized police crews, after the spirits degenerated during a service.
According to the first information cited by Gorj Onlinethe intervention of the authorities was requested by calling 112, after a conflict allegedly broke out between two priests who served in the same place. In the altercation, not only the two were involved, but also parishioners present at the service, the situation degenerating enough to require the intervention of the police. It is not yet clear what sparked the dispute.
Protagonists with a controversial past
At the center of the incident is “Archimandrite Ioanichie”, the name under which Ionuț Cosmin Barză presents himself, but also one of his supporters, the reborn “Teodosie”, real name Gabriel Vlad. The two are not in the public eye for the first time.
Three years ago, Ionuț Cosmin Barză was dismissed by the Metropolitan of Oltenia and was forbidden to officiate services in the “St. Varvara” Church in Târgu Jiu. However, he continued to work in the same institution, despite the official decision. At that time, the police officers of the Târgu Jiu Municipality Police opened a criminal case against him, being accused of practicing the profession of priest without having this right.
Specifically, Barză would have continued to hold religious services in the Primaverii neighborhood, although he had been informed, more than three months before, about the lifting of the right to practice.
The episode from Craiova
On the other hand, Gabriel Vlad, known as the reborn “Teodosie”, also has a problematic past. He came to the attention of the police in the fall of 2022, after an incident in a store in Craiova.
According to Gazeta de Sud, the police in Craiova were alerted by phone by a 46-year-old woman, an agent security in a store in the locality, regarding the fact that he surprised a person dressed in priestly clothes, who allegedly stole several goods from the store.
