Norway's Child Welfare Services Removes Five Children from a Pentecostal Christian Couple

Country: Norway

Date of incident: November 16, 2015


According to a petition in support of the family which has attracted more than 22,600 signatures, the couple have been charged with "Christian radicalism and indoctrination".

Marius Bodnariu is a Romanian married to Ruth, a Norwegian. Formerly members of the Philadelphia Pentecostal Church in Bucharest, they moved to Norway 10 years ago to start a family there and live in Naustdal on the west coast, north of Bergen.
According to Rev Cristian Ionescu, who has been backing the couple's campaign for the return of the children, on November 16 the welfare services, or Barnevernet, took the two oldest children from school without their parents' knowledge. 
Accompanied by police, they then appeared at the Bodnariu home and took the two older boys, leaving Ruth with three-month-old Ezekiel. The couple then visited the local police station to try to resolve the situation. The following day Barnevernet officials accompanied by four policemen, without any court orders or documentation, came to the Bodnarius' home and removed Ezekiel as well.
On Wednesday, November 18, Barnevernet notified Ruth that her children were separated into two families and that the children had already begun to integrate into their new lifestyle.
Source: Christian Today