Dugulescu reportedly passed away late Thursday, January 3, in the Western Romanian city of Timisoara, about a week after Romanian weekly Banateanul revealed he had been a Securitate informer in the early 1980s.
He admitted reporting to the Communist regime on colleagues, including at least one other Baptist pastor and foreigners with whom he came into contact.
The Securitate relied on an estimated 700,000 informers to keep tabs on Romanians and foreigners, according to analysts. Many devoted Christians were persecuted for their faith by the Securitate under orders of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, but it was unclear what, if anything, was done with Dugulescu’s information.
SECURITATE INFORMER
Dugulescu said he had been an informer for just 18 months, after he was recruited when he applied for a passport. He was no exception. Several pastors and bishops have said they were "forced" to cooperate with the Securitate.
Yet church observers say Dugulescu later played a key role in the anti-Communist revolution in December 1989, protesting against the planned forced deportation of Hungarian Reformed Church Pastor Laszlo Tokes. The revolution led to the overthrow and eventual execution of dictator Ceausescu, and his wife Elena, on Christmas Day, 1989.
Dugulescu continued as head of the Baptist church in Romania and served as a parliamentarian for the center-right Peasant Party from 1992 to 2000. He also attended yearly prayer breakfasts organized at the White House after Communism ended. His funeral was scheduled for Monday, January 7. Dugulescu is survived by his wife and two sons who live in the United States. (With BosNewsLife Senior Correspondent Eric Leijenaar and BosNewsLife Chief International Correspondent, Stefan J. Bos)
