The funeral service of the philosopher Mihai Șora, held on Tuesday at the White Church in Bucharest, was marked by a tense moment. The philosopher’s son, Tom Șora, settled in Germany, asked to take the floor as well, stating that he has “some things that need to be said” to say. He claimed that he found out about his father’s death “completely by chance” and accused that Mihai Șora’s relationship with his children “has been systematically hindered for the last ten years”.
Mihai SoraPhoto: INQUAM Photos / Octav Ganea
The funeral service of the philosopher Mihai Șora, who died on Saturday, at the age of 106, was held on Tuesday at the White Church, before the philosopher was buried at the Bellu Cemetery.
The religious ceremony was broadcast live on the church’s Facebook page, being also shared on Mihai Șora’s account.
Along with the priests, professor Mircea Dumitru, vice-president of the Romanian Academy, and the writer Tudorel Urian spoke from the microphone.
At the end of the ceremony, when one of the priests announced that the funeral was to follow at the Bellu Cemetery, a man came to the microphone and introduced himself as Tom Șora, the philosopher’s son, asking for permission to speak.
In his approximately three-minute intervention, Tom Șora accused that Mihai Șora’s relationship with his children was “systematically hindered” in the last ten years.
“I found out about my father’s death completely by chance”
- “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I am Tom Șora, son of Mihai Șora. I came here for my father’s memorial. I didn’t come alone, I came with Mihai Șora’s nephew, Alexandru, and his great-grandson, Nico.
- I also came on behalf of my sister, Sanda Șora, who could not come for health reasons. I would not have given this speech, this lecture, if I had not felt compelled to do this.
- It’s spontaneous, I didn’t prepare it, I improvised now, but I have to say some things that need to be said, even if in this frame there were only very beautiful things brought in elevated spirit, I will say other things. Short.
- I found out about my father’s death quite by chance, namely an acquaintance of my sister’s read on Facebook that my father had died. I live and we all live in Germany. And then, on Saturday night, my sister told me that our father had died.
- So I wasn’t notified that he died, I found out by accident.
“I tried countless times in these ten years to get in touch with him, I couldn’t”
- Our family’s relationship with our father has been systematically hindered for the past ten years. I couldn’t get in touch with him either by phone or email, it was blocked. I couldn’t call to talk to him, I was censored. I tried countless times in these ten years to get in touch with him, I couldn’t.
- Three years ago I did a special thing – I came unannounced when there were demonstrations in August, in 2019, I came spontaneously and there, practically, in the square, I talked to my father and finally, by a miracle, I managed to we meet twice in a restaurant, not at home.
- And there we talked and I think it was pretty good what we talked about and I hoped that the relationship would normalize and that I would be able to talk again, normally, that is, on the phone, in person, with my father, who three years ago was lucid, she could talk to him very well.
- After about two weeks, when I returned to Germany, I called to see how you were doing, how you were doing. Impossible, I couldn’t talk to him anymore”, declared Tom Șora.
- At the intervention of a priest, he shortened his speech, adding: “Yes, I will shorten it. I had to say this. I’m sorry, I said respectfully, it had to be said. God rest his soul! With all due respect!”.
Mihai Şora was buried with military honors on Writers’ Alley in Bellu Cemetery.
The philosopher and essayist Mihai Şora, one of the most active intellectuals, both online and in the street, died on Saturday, at the age of 106.
The announcement was made on Facebook by the philosopher’s wife, Luiza Palanciuc-țora:
- “Boyfriend,
- you were pure happiness: not just a beautiful man, but Beauty itself, faith, hope and love, as the apostolic word says. And I will never be grateful enough for everything you have given me for almost two decades. You took me off the rails of my destiny and bound me irreversibly and harmoniously to yours, with a grace that only you were capable of and that not many earthlings can comprehend with mind or heart.
- I still don’t know what tomorrow will look like, nor what will follow. It is beyond my power of acceptance. Some men ought to live forever—not only in Heaven, where you will surely stand, but also on this blue dot, the blob of water and hum that floats in space, and on which eight billion other human beings—but none like you – they live together, they fight or love each other, they fight or they support each other.
- It’s cold without you, baby.
- today”
Mihai Șora married in 2014, at the age of 98, with Luiza Palanciuc, 56 years younger than him. The philosopher was married for 72 years to the writer Mariana Șora, who died in 2011, in Germany, the two having three children: Sanda, Andrei and Tom.
