Former Culture Minister Daniel Barbu, a respected professor and theologian whose car was stoned by anti-mine protesters when he was culture minister, has died, the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Bucharest said. He was 66.
No cause was given for his death on Monday, but he had withdrawn from public life after he was diagnosed with cancer.
“We are saddened to learn of the death of Daniel Barbu, who was a great friend of our church community over many years. As we prepare to celebrate the Lord’s Passion and death, may Daniel know in its fullness the joy of Christ’s Resurrection,” the church said on its Facebook page.
He and his family worshiped at the church over the course of many years. Even though he was a Catholic, Mr. Barbu, a theologian, felt at home with the Anglican liturgy. The Catholic Theology Faculty said his motto was “Nil nisi Cruce” (Nothing unless by the Cross).
Father Nevsky Everett, chaplain of the Anglican Church wrote: “Daniel Barbu was a historian, political scientist, theologian, a kind and generous man, and a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. When his most recent book was published last year, he gave me a copy inscribed with the hope that one day my Romanian might be good enough to read it. Today he rests in the Lord, and this evening I will make a start on his book. May he rise in glory!”
Primarily a political scientist, Mr. Barbu served as professor at the University of Bucharest’s Faculty of Political Science and gained respect for his long and rich academic career.
However, a short stint in high-level politics proved to be a tumultuous period in the life of the usually staid professor.
During his year in office as culture minister from December 2012 to December 2013, he was criticized for his role in initiating a law to give the green light to a controversial gold mine project, Rosia Montana.
That law sparked some of the biggest protests seen in Romania since the collapse of communism, and protesters demanded his resignation just months into the job.
The Order of Romanian Architects and several non-governmental organizations added their voice to the protest after he “lost” a plan assessing the worth of Rosia Montana as national heritage.
In scenes rarely seen in post-communist Romania, his car was stoned, after anti-mine protesters stormed into a cultural debate he was part of in Bucharest and demanded his resignation. The car’s back window was shattered in the mayhem while he was in the vehicle. Police had to intervene to rescue him, and the incident understandably left him shaken.
Two months later, he caused a stir after he suggested that the budget for the prevention and treatment of HIV was too generous compared to his culture ministry budget. He fueled further controversy by suggesting the AIDS program be down-scaled and the money used for more festivals such as the Shakespeare Festival.
His party forced him to resign the next day.
Mr. Barbu’s political career began last century when he served as an adviser to former President Emil Constantinescu between 1997 and 1999. He was a Senator from 2012-2016 for the now defunct Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE).
Born in Bucharest, Barbu studied the History of Art in Cluj graduating in 1980. He then was employed as a curator at the Village Museum in 1980 and the National Museum of Romanian History.
After the anti-communist revolt, he began doctoral training in Germany, at the University of Fribourg’s Faculty of Theology; he received a PhD in history from the Babeș-Bolyai University in 1991.
In 1999, he took a second doctorate, in Philosophy, from the University of Bucharest, where he taught from 1991 onwards. He was dean of the Political Science Department of the University of Bucharest from 1994 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2004.
According to online information, Barbu was a visiting professor at the Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales in Paris, the La Sapienza University in Rome, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Pittsburg State University, Jackson State University.
He also wrote a number of non-fiction books and was a contributor to Sfera Politicii.
He is survived by a son and a daughter. His wife died several years ago.
His funeral will be held on Thursday, the Romano-Catholic Faculty of Theology of Bucharest University said.
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