On the July 19 episode of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Elizabeth was baptized in an Orthodox Christian church in Moldova. The mother of one decided to convert while in her husband’s home country, hoping to please him and his family. But what does her baptism really mean?
Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast have struggled to communicate on this season of 90 Day Fiancé. Elizabeth is still trying to balance her family’s needs against her husband’s wants. Andrei is happily living without a job, even though he planned to go to truck driving school and at one point worked for Elizabeth’s father. Andrei’s friends were surprised that he was content with being a stay at home dad while his wife earned the paycheck. Those problems, however, seem shallow in comparison to more sinister claims. Recently, Elizabeth and Andrei had to deny domestic abuse allegations. The couple has certainly been unpredictable in recent episodes, but both strongly oppose the claim that their relationship is at all abusive.
On the July 19 episode of Happily Ever After, fans watched Elizabeth prepare to be baptized in the Moldovan church. The baptism was a signal of Libby's conversion to the Orthodox Christian religion. Known officially as the Orthodox Catholic Church and often referred to as Eastern Orthodoxy, this religion is a large subcategory of Christianity (via Brittanica). Eastern Orthodoxy is based heavily on tradition and history, as Christians in this faith follow the practices and beliefs of the first seven Christian churches ever established. Unfortunately, Libby had no idea what was going on during her baptism because she could not speak the language. To viewers, the strict religion seems to go against what the reality star stands for as a woman. But what exactly does the baptism ceremony entail?
Moldovans place huge importance on a child’s baptism, with godparents playing a key role in the Orthodox religion. This is one of the main reasons Libby had to convert. Otherwise, her daughter with Andrei would not be able to be baptized herself. The Florida native decided to go through with the ceremony before her family arrived so she would not cause any more tension between her loved ones and Andrei. Elizabeth had to wear all white and place a scarf over her head as she entered the church. The strict religion still shares the belief that the woman came from the man’s rib and therefore must obey him. The priest calmly spoke while Andrei translated to his wife who, frankly, had no idea what she was committing to. Towards the end, she took off her slippers and stepped into the water where the priest blessed her three times and handed her a wooden cross that she was meant to wear for the entire day. Not understanding the significance, Elizabeth removed the cross before dinner.
Even though Andrei was extremely proud that his wife accepted his religion, fans weren't convinced that Libby would stop practicing her Southern Baptist beliefs. Many TLC viewers felt that she was just going through with the ceremony to fulfill Andrei's dream of having a wedding in his home country.
90 Day Fiancé: Happily, Ever After? airs Sundays at 8 pm EST on TLC.
Source: Brittanica