ABSTRACT. The study “Tears of Saints” considers some of the humiliations and sufferings endured by the Romanian Orthodox Church, during the second half of the last century, caused by the atheistic communist regime. The author emphasizes the brutality of the “reeducation” and of the “Pitești experiment” that took place in Pitești prison. The moral and religious virtues proved by the heroes of the anti-communist resistance are particularly described. Some of these sublime characters are contemporary saints who sacrificed their lives in order to protect faith and spiritual values.

Keywords: Communism; Romanian Orthodox Church; Pitești Experiment; repression; “reeducation”; contemporary saints