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Romania
P O P U L A T I O N 19,043,767
E A S T E R N O R T H O D O X 86 percent
R O M A N C A T H O L I C 4.6 percent
R E F O R M E D C H R I S T I A N 3.2 percent
P E N T E C O S T A L 1.9 percent
G R E E K C A T H O L I C 0.8 percent
B A P T I S T 0.6 percent
S E V E N T H - D A Y A D V E N T I S T 0.4 percent
O T H E R 2.5 percent
Country Overview
INTRODUCTION Romania is a predominantly Eastern
Orthodox country situated on the Balkan Peninsula. It is
bordered by Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast,
Hungary and Serbia to the west, Bulgaria and the Danube
River to the south, and the Black Sea to the southeast.
Equal parts mountains, hills, and plains, the country has
a total land area of 92,000 square miles (238,279 square
kilometers).
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Christianity was established in the region during the
fourth through the sixth centuries CE. As different parts
of the region fell under Ottoman, Polish, Habsburg, and
Russian rule between the 16th and 19th centuries, the
Eastern Orthodox Church was an important cultural
institution for helping preserve a national Romanian
identity. The Roman Catholic Church reappeared in
Transylvania at the end of the 17th century when the
Habsburg Empire supplanted Ottoman rule of the
region. In 1859 the Romanian principalities of Moldova
and Walachia united under the name of Romania, which
became an independent nation in 1877 and a kingdom in
1881. After incorporating Transylvania in 1918, Roma-
nia recognized the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic
Churches as national churches. Judaism, which entered
the country after Jews were expelled from western Europe
during the Middle Ages and the Protestant Reformation,
declined during World War II (193945), when many
Romanian Jews were deported or exterminated. Others
emigrated during the Communist period, between 1945
and 1989. The Communist government gradually dimin-
ished the role of churches, enacting repressive policies
that targeted Christians and ultimately banishing the
Greek Catholic Church. However, after the Communist
regime collapsed, religious freedom was reestablished.
Eastern Orthodoxy is dominant throughout Roma-
nia. Transylvania is the most religiously diverse Roma-
nian region and home to most of the countrys Greek
Catholic, Roman Catholic, and Reformed Christian
believers. Transylvania also includes growing numbers
of Baptists and Pentecostals, most of whom were con-
verted after 1989. The southeastern region of Dobrogea
is home to a small population of Sunni Muslims, while
the Roman Catholic Csangos, a group of ethnic
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Hungarians, are concentrated in what is now Moldova.
The small Jewish minority is mainly present in Bucharest,
the countrys capital. Since 1989 the country has experi-
enced a religious revival that has reversed the legacy of
Communist-era state-imposed secularism. Romania is
among the top-ranked eastern European countries in
terms of public trust in religious institutions.
RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE There are 18 religious
denominations officially recognized by the Romanian
government and 120 religious associations. The state
materially supports these religious organizations, pro-
viding money for compensation of religious staff, con-
struction of new buildings, and conservation and
restoration of national religious assets. Some groups,
such as the Baptists and Pentecostals, reject state sup-
port, as they see the practice as making them depend-
ent on the state. Denominations that the state does not
officially recognize cannot hold religious services or
open places of worship. Religious associations are also
recognized by the state, but they have fewer rights and
benefits. For example, only denominations, not asso-
ciations, can offer religious instruction in public
schools.
Although the Romanian constitution does not dif-
ferentiate among officially recognized religious denomi-
nations, in practice, politicians, government agencies, and
the public treat the Romanian Orthodox Church as the
national church. Similarly the church behaves as a state
church like the Lutheran Church in Norway or the
Anglican Church in England. As such the Romanian
Orthodox Church enjoys certain privileges. For example,
the patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church opens
sessions of Parliament, and the head of the State
Secretariat of Religious Affairs, who is responsible for
overseeing religious activity in the country, drafting rel-
evant legislation, registering new groups, and allocating
government funds among officially registered denomina-
tions, is traditionally a graduate of the Faculty of
Orthodox Theology at the University of Bucharest.
Since 1989 some Romanian politicians have decried
the anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia expressed by
some government officials. Nevertheless, intolerance
among politicians and the general public toward some
ethnic and religious communities has persisted. During
the 1990s relations between the Romanian Orthodox
and Greek Catholic Churches were seriously strained
when the Orthodox Church refused to return churches
and assets that belonged to the Greek Catholics before
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1948. Tensions subsided after the Greek Catholics built
new places of worship and no longer required their old
property. The government issued two decrees on March
13, 2002. The first bans fascist, racist, or xenophobic
organizations and symbols. The second prohibits con-
tribution to the cult of personality of war criminals.
Small atheistic and humanistic groups have challenged
the display of religious symbols in public schools and
universities, the Orthodox Churchs plans to build a
national cathedral in Bucharest, and religious opposition
to the legalization of homosexual behavior. However,
these groups remain isolated from mainstream culture.
Major Religion
EASTERN ORTHODOXY
DATE OF ORIGIN Fourth to sixth centuries CE
NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS 16.3 million
HISTORY Although Christianity in the region can be
traced back to apostolic times, there is not enough
archaeological evidence to be sure of its development in
Romanian lands in the early centuries of the first millen-
nium. History has shown that during the fourth through
sixth centuries Christianity spread north of the Danube
River into Romania. After the Slavs established them-
selves in the region at the end of the fifth century, the
Eastern Orthodox Church in Romania gradually became
organized, and bishops were installed. The Slavonic
language replaced Latin as the official language of the
church; therefore, many of the terms relating to the
hierarchy of the Romanian Orthodox Church derive
from Slavic. By the 14th century, local political leaders
had created the voivodeships (provinces) of Walachia
and Moldova, which led to the establishment of metro-
politanates (areas under the authority of a local bishop)
with religious and political ties to the Byzantine Empire.
In 1359 the metropolitanate of Walachia was established
and was granted authority over Orthodox Romanians in
Walachia and Transylvania. In 1401 a metropolitanate
was created in Moldova. Beginning in the 14th century,
members of the Orthodox faith were subjected first to
Catholic, then to Protestant, then again to Catholic
proselytism (inducing a member of one faith to join
another), prompting many Romanians to change their
names and their ethnic and linguistic identities.
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Orthodoxy eventually became a means of preserving
traditions and the Romanian identity in Transylvania.
In 1885 the ecumenical patriarch (archbishop) of
Constantinople recognized the Romanian Orthodox
Church as a self-governing branch of the Eastern Ortho-
dox Church. Following the unification of Romanian ter-
ritory in 1918 and the centralization of the church
which involved integrating independent bishoprics and
metropolitanates and centralizing the controlling body in
Bucharestthe metropolitan of Walachia, Miron Cristea
(18681939), became patriarch of the Romanian Ortho-
dox Church on February 25, 1925. He was followed by
patriarchs Nicodim Munteanu (18641948), Justinian
Marina (19011977), Iustin Moisescu (19101986),
Teoctist Arapas,u (19152007), and Daniel Ciobotea
(1951 ).
From 1945 to 1989, the church faced persecution
from Communist authorities, who curbed its social activ-
ity and involvement in schools; shut down monasteries,
seminaries, and church presses; confiscated church assets;
appointed new patriarchs; and imprisoned outspoken
members of the clergy and worshippers. Scores of bish-
ops and priests died in prison, persecuted for their
religious beliefs or involvement with the Iron Guard, a
fascist, anti-Communist organization that rose to prom-
inence during the period between the two world wars.
After 1964 the Romanian Orthodox Church forged a
partnership with the Communist regime, which tolerated
its activities in exchange for its support of Communist
leaders and policies. As a result the church received small
concessions: two university-level theological programs
were allowed to remain open, and the patriarchal see
(the seat of the patriarchs authority) was permitted to
remain in Bucharest. However, in 1989 intellectuals and
civil society groups attacked the church after Patriarch
Arapas,u sent Romanias Communist leader, Nicolae
Ceaus,escu (19181989), a telegram of support during
the December Revolution. Ultimately, Ceaus,escus
Communist regime was ousted, and Arapas,u was widely
criticized for siding with Ceaus,escu against the public.
After 1989 the Romanian Orthodox Church
became a formidable political and social actor. While
many intellectuals remain critical of its past and present
activities, the church is the countrys most trusted insti-
tution, a political power to be reckoned with, and an
active social force in schools, hospitals, and army bar-
racks. Since 1989 the church has extended its jurisdiction
over the Romanian-speaking faithful living in the newly
independent Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet
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ROMANIA
republic) and has opened new eparchies (dioceses)
abroad to serve Romanians living in Spain, Italy, the
United States, Canada, Australia, and other Western
countries.
EARLY AND MODERN LEADERS The 15th-century
Orthodox monk Daniil Sihastrul (d. c. 1482) was the
main adviser of Stephen the Great (14321504), prince
of the medieval state of Moldova, who opposed the
Ottoman Turks for most of his rule. The church later
canonized Sihastrul and Stephen the Great as saints.
Andrei S, aguna (18091873), a metropolitan of
the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania,
made the church one of the leading forces in the
national movement for more rights for Transylvanian
Romanians. He is best known for reorganizing the
church by redrafting its statutes, which the church
continues to use today.
Other church leaders have engaged in active roles in
political life. For instance, in 1930 cleric Miron Cristea
served as a member of the regency council that advised
King Michael I (1921 ). The three church leaders
appointed during the Communist erapatriarchs
Justinian Marina, Iustin Moisescu, and Teoctist
Arapas,u, known as the Red Patriarchsremain contro-
versial for their inability or unwillingness to openly
confront Communist authorities. Marina oversaw the
Romanian Orthodox Church joining the European
Council of Churches in 1959 and the World Council
of Churches in 1961. Patriarchs Moisescu and Arapas,u
expanded the churchs contact with the outside world but
without radically improving their image among the
Romanian faithful. In fact, Arapas,u was forced to with-
draw to a monastery in 1990 for his collaboration with
the Communists. His penitence was short lived, however,
and after three months he returned to the churchs helm.
Daniel Ciobotea is the first to be elected to the office
of patriarch. He defeated Bartolomeu Anania (1921
2011), a former Iron Guard member known for his
conservative and anti-European views. Whereas
Cioboteas predecessor emphasized informal cooperation
between the church and political leaders, Ciobotea
grounded churchstate relations in contractual partner-
ships that encouraged collaboration in such areas of life
as social inclusion and social assistance.
MAJOR THEOLOGIANS AND AUTHORS Saint John
Cassian (360435) established two monasteries in
Marseille (France) and is considered one of the founders
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of monasticism in western Europe. Dionysius Exiguus
(c. 470c. 544) laid the foundations for the present
chronological system by using the birth of Jesus Christ
as the basis for numbering years.
Metropolitans Varlaam (15901657), Dosoftei
(16241693), and Antim Ivireanul (16501716) and
bishop Melchisedec Stefanescu (18231892) played
major roles in Romanian culture. Varlaam established
the first Romanian press and the first theological school
in Ias,i in 1640. Dosoftei, the first important Romanian-
language poet, was the first to translate the Bible into
Romanian. Ivireanul founded the first public library in
Bucharest, printed more than 60 books on various topics,
and promoted the use of Romanian as a liturgical lan-
guage. Stefanescu authored important theological works
and served as minister of religious affairs and a member
of the Senate.
One of Europes most outstanding theologians,
Romanian priest Dumitru Staniloae (19031993),
wrote several dozen books on theology, early church
fathers, and ecumenism (the doctrine of Christian
unity); translated some three dozen others; and authored
over 200 theological articles. His most important work,
Orthodox Dogmatic Theology (1978), introduced Orthodox
theology into the ecumenical debate.
HOUSES OF WORSHIP AND HOLY PLACES Orthodox
churches are built to represent the universe. The interior
of an Orthodox church is divided into three parts: the
narthex (lobby), representing the world in which human-
kind is called to repentance; the nave (a long central hall
that leads into the interior of the church), which encom-
passes the living and the departed as members of the
assembled church; and the sanctuary, which represents
the throne of God, who is invisibly present there.
The 16th and 17th centuries marked the climax of
Romanian medieval art. Five monasteries in northern
Moldava (Sucevit,a, Moldovit,a, Humor, Arbore, and
Voronet,the most famous monastery for its unique
blue frescoes) showcase some of the most important
ensembles of monuments and exterior mural paintings
in Europe and are under the patronage of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organiza-
tion. These works of art represent scenes from the Bible
and major events in the lives of Christian saints.
Also worth mentioning are the monasteries of
Dealu, Curtea de Arges, (often called the greatest achieve-
ment of post-Byzantine art), Dragomirna, Secu, Hurezi,
Caldarus,ani, Vacares,ti, Varatec, and Sihastria, as well as
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Dumitru Staniloae
Orthodox theologian Dumitru Staniloae (1903
1993) has been recognized as a major authority on
ecclesiology (theological doctrine), especially the
interpretation of texts about early church fathers, and
ecumenism, the doctrine of Christian unity. A married
priest, he was a theology professor at Orthodox
Theological Academy in Sibiu and the University of
Bucharest for nearly five decades, beginning in the
1920s. His doctoral thesis on Patriarch Dositheos of
Jerusalem (16411707) presented Romania as a
meeting place between the Greek and Slavic worlds,
a guardian of Byzantine heritage, and the only predom-
inantly Orthodox country with a Latin language.
Staniloae was among the first to break with the
scholastic approach that dominated Orthodox theol-
ogy at the beginning of the 20th century. He increas-
ingly came to view theology as a personal experience,
a living encounter with God, rather than an abstract
system or a philosophical theory. This new spirit per-
vades his three-volume Orthodox Dogmatic Theology
(1978). Despite numerous limitations imposed on
him by the Communists (including five years of
imprisonment), his scholarly output was prodigious
during the Communist period (194589) and
remained so until his death in 1993. He authored
more than 20 books and more than 200 theological
articles published in Romania and abroad. He also
translated the works of ancient and modern authors
into Romanian. Because of his erudition and pro-
found insights, he has been hailed as one of the
most prolific representatives of Eastern Orthodox
theology.
the churches at Potlogi and Mogosoaia. Since 1989 some
2,000 Orthodox churches have been built throughout
Romania. In January 2013 there were 12,968 Orthodox
churches representing 70 percent of all places of worship
in Romania. Many of them are large and ornate, such as
the Ascension of the Lord Cathedral in Bacau and the
Holy Friday Church in Zalau.
The foundation of a new patriarchal cathedral was
laid in downtown Bucharest in 2010. The new structure,
which is to surpass the current patriarchal cathedral in
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surface area and height, has come under criticism for
emulating the tall Western Roman Catholic and
Protestant cathedrals instead of traditional Romanian
Orthodox churches, which are comparatively small in
order to unite the religious community.
WHAT IS SACRED The Romanian Orthodox Church
shares the same sacred elements with other Orthodox
churches. The words of the Holy Scriptureswhich
include the Old and New Testaments of the Bible
and the Holy Traditionwhich encompasses the writ-
ings, teachings, and acts of the apostles, saints, martyrs,
and church fathers; liturgical and sacramental traditions
throughout the ages; and the decisions of ecumenical
councilsare sacred and cannot be changed.
There are many liturgical objects that help the com-
munity to perform ceremonies, including crucifixes, can-
dles, the chalice, and diskos (small plates used to hold the
bread of the Eucharist). In addition, icons and relics are
venerated according to the decisions and canons of the
Seventh Ecumenical Council, a meeting of Orthodox
bishops in 787 to formulate church dogma. According
to these decisions, veneration of icons and relics is
acceptable, but adoration (a higher form of veneration)
is reserved only for God. The way in which these sacred
In downtown Bucharest in April 2012, actors re-create Jesuss journey along the route to his crucifixion. The Orthodox
Church in Romania celebrates Easter a week later than Western churches do. D A N I E L M I H A I L E S C U / A F P / G E T T Y
IMAGES.
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ROMANIA
objects are used has remained unchanged into the 21st
century.
HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS The church calendar
begins on September 1 and ends on August 31. On
each day the church celebrates at least one saint or
major religious event. Several major feasts are observed
annually, and of these Easter is the most important. The
other major feast days are the Nativity of the Virgin
Mary (September 8), the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
(September 14), the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in
the Temple (November 21), Christmas (December 25),
Epiphany (January 6), Annunciation (March 25), the
Feast of Saint George (April 23), the Feast of Saints
Helen and Constantine (May 21), Palm Sunday (the
Sunday before Easter), Ascension (40 days after Easter),
Pentecost (50 days after Easter), the Transfiguration of
Christ (August 6), and the Dormition of the Virgin
Mary (August 15). These celebrations continue to attract
large crowds of believers to the patriarchal see in
Bucharest.
MODE OF DRESS Liturgical vestments have many dec-
orative and symbolic purposes. For example, the stole
symbolizes the direct relationship between the material
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and divine worlds. Used by priests at all of the important
ceremonies, it represents the spiritual power Christ
gave to the apostles and through them all bishops and
priests.
The Orthodox Church prescribes that churchgoers
clothes be clean and modest. Clothing that is suggestive
or that distracts from the church ceremony and interferes
with concentration and attention to prayer is not
allowed. Because the Bible distinguishes between mens
and womens clothing, women are not allowed to wear
trousers at religious ceremonies. Nor are they allowed to
wear short skirts or skintight dresses. They also must
cover their heads as a sign of humility. Men are required
to dress modestly in church and are forbidden from
wearing womens clothes, T-shirts, or shorts. In different
parts of Romania, especially in rural regions of
Transylvania, churchgoers wear traditional folk clothes
on major religious occasions and for Sunday Mass.
DIETARY PRACTICES As in all other Orthodox
churches, fasting is an important part of Christian life.
Fasting is not simply a set of dietary laws and other
requirements. Prayer and almsgiving accompany fasting
as spiritual aids in disciplining the body and soul. In the
Orthodox tradition, fasting involves abstaining from
meat, fish, dairy, eggs, wine, and olive oil; eating a smaller
quantity of food; and eating fewer meals.
Orthodox Christians observe four primary periods
of fasting during the year: the Great Fast (Lent), which
begins seven weeks before Easter; the Fast of the
Apostles, which starts on the Monday eight days after
Pentecost and ends on June 28; the Dormition Fast,
which lasts two weeks, from August 1 to 14; and the
Nativity Fast, which lasts 40 days, from November 15 to
December 24. In addition, all Wednesdays and
Fridaysand in some monasteries Mondaysare fast
days. Other fast days include the day before Epiphany
(January 5), the day of the Beheading of John the
Forerunner (August 29), and the day of the Exaltation
of the Cross (September 14).
RITUALS Romanian Orthodox rituals are the same as
those of other Orthodox churches. The main features of
worship are unaccompanied chanting during religious
ceremonies and standing or kneeling as the default pos-
ture for private or public worship. Because sacred time is
an essential element of Orthodox worship, there are
different Christian prayers according to the time of day.
The most important religious service is the Divine
38
Liturgy (also known as the Eucharist, Mass, or Holy
Communion). The most frequently used prayers are Our
Father, the Creed, and the Jesus Prayer (Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner).
The main pilgrimages in the Romanian Orthodox
Church are to monasteries and to saints relics during
each saints annual celebration, such as Saint Pious
Parascheva (October 14) in Ias,i and Saint Dimitrie
(October 28) in Bucharest.
RITES OF PASSAGE In the Romanian Orthodox
Church, Christian life is seen as a single, great sacrament.
Like all Orthodox churches, the Romanian church has
seven sacraments: baptism, chrismation (anointing with
oil), the Eucharist, repentance (or confession), ordina-
tion, marriage (or holy matrimony), and the anointing of
the sick. Baptism is the door through which new mem-
bers enter the church. Chrismation, or anointing of the
newly baptized, represents the completion of baptism. In
the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the faithful partake
of the body and blood of Jesus Christ for remission of
sins and eternal life. In the sacrament of confession, Jesus
Christ, through the confessor, forgives the sins commit-
ted after baptism by anyone who confesses and sincerely
repents. In the sacrament of ordination, through prayer
and the laying on of hands by a bishop, divine grace
descends upon the ordained, enabling him to be a min-
ister. In marriage divine grace sanctifies the union of
husband and wife. In the sacrament of anointing of the
sick, an individual who is ill is daubed with sanctified oil,
and divine grace heals his or her bodily and spiritual ills.
MEMBERSHIP Church membership is open to anyone
who receives the sacrament of baptism, regardless of age.
According to Orthodox doctrine, members of the church
are members of Christs mystical body, and through the
sacraments they receive Gods grace. Membership involves
regular attendance at divine services and the receiving of
sacraments according to Christs commandments.
According to official doctrine, the Romanian
Orthodox Church does not proselytize. Its pastoral
methods are based on direct contact between ministers
and members of the community regarding members
lives and religious needs. The church has several pub-
lications and theological magazines and benefits from
exposure and airtime on national radio and television.
Under Patriarch Ciobotea, the church launched its
own radio and television station, Trinitas, which has
nationwide and online coverage (http://trinitastv.ro).
The churchs presence on the Internet is also fairly well
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developed, including the official Web site of
the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate (http://
www.patriarhia.ro).
SOCIAL JUSTICE Despite the economic difficulties
facing the Romanian Orthodox Church and Romania
as a whole, the church reestablished charitable associa-
tions after 1989 to help orphans, the elderly, and people
with disabilities and to grant religious assistance in hos-
pitals, orphanages, and homes for the elderly or soldiers.
Since 1989 several new university-level theological edu-
cation programs opened in the main Romanian cities.
New high school seminaries have been established in the
cities of Roman, Galat,i, Alba Iulia, and Suceava and at
the Agapia Monastery (for girls). Most faculties of
Orthodox theology offer degrees in social work for clergy
and lay students.
SOCIAL LIFE The social doctrine of the Romanian
Orthodox Church is the same as the doctrine of other
Orthodox churches. The church likens marital union to
the union between Christ and the church. Marriage is a
sacrament and an act of devotion in front of God and
the community. The church allows divorce only in cases
of fornication, desertion, cruelty, or incompatibility.
Remarriage is allowed only twice. Marriage between
first and second cousins and between individuals who
have the same godparents is forbidden. Mixed marriages
(between Orthodox and non-Orthodox individuals)
are allowed only if they are performed according to
Orthodox rites and if the couple agrees to bring their
children up in the Orthodox faith.
Women are not ordained to the priesthood or bish-
opric (office of the bishop), but as priests wives they play
an important social role in the community. Ordination of
women to the diaconate (office of deacon) was a Byzan-
tine practice until the 12th century, when it was discon-
tinued due to the rise in infant baptism. (Previously
deaconesses baptized adult women by accompanying
them into the baptismal pool.) As of the early 21st
century, the practice had not been resurrected.
POLITICAL IMPACT The highest authority of the
Romanian Orthodox Church for all dogmatic and can-
onical problems is the Holy Synod, which consists of the
patriarch and the appointed hierarchy, including metro-
politans, archbishops, bishops, and vicars. The executive
representative body of the Holy Synod is the National
Church Council.
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ROMANIA
After the collapse of the Communist regime, the
Romanian Orthodox Church asked to be recognized by
the government as the national church of Romania. But
the government has repeatedly turned down this request,
and the constitution does not elevate the church above
other religious groups. Nevertheless, in practice
Romanian authorities consider it the national church;
therefore, it enjoys considerable political influence.
During the 1990s bishops adopted different poli-
cies with respect to priests direct involvement in poli-
tics. Some have encouraged priests to run for office and
seek the position of mayor, deputy mayor, local or
county councilor, or member of parliament. Others
have threatened to defrock priests who become politi-
cians, though priests are allowed to support political
candidates. After presidential candidate Emil
Constantinescu (1939 ) garnered the support of the
Romanian Orthodox Church in 1996, all presidential
candidates have attempted to gain the churchs endorse-
ment, since only the Romanian Orthodox Church has
enough influence to mobilize the votes needed to win
the presidency.
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES The Romanian Orthodox
Church has been the subject of controversy related to its
collaboration with the repressive Communist regime;
the right-wing views of some of its members; its recog-
nition of the Bessarabian Metropolitanate in the inde-
pendent Republic of Moldova; its opposition to
abortion, family planning, and the legalization of
homosexual behavior; and the building of numerous
lavish churches with government grants and private
donations.
The Romanian Orthodox Church has refused to
publicly debate its collaboration with the Communist
regime, which committed human rights violations. In
2006 the final report of a presidential history com-
mission criticized the church for its behavior during
the Communist era. The church responded by commis-
sioning an alternative report that presented it as a victim
of Communism and listed the many clergy and
faithful who were imprisoned by the Communists. It
maintains that Communist-era collaboration was
imperative because it allowed the church to survive as
an organization.
Moreover, the Romanian Orthodox Church has
refused to denounce the fascist sympathies of some
of its leaders, monks, and priests, past and present.
Many of the Orthodox priests who served time in prison
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during the Communist era were persecuted for their

association with the Iron Guard, which condoned polit-
ical violence and anti-Semitism. Even in the early 21st
century, Orthodox leaders such as the late Bartolomeu
Anania are prized in some circles for their radical anti-
European views.
The Romanian Orthodox Church also came under
fire from Moscow, Russian-speaking Moldovans, and
the government of Moldova for extending its jurisdic-
tion over the Romanian-speaking Moldovans, who
form the majority of the population in the Republic
of Moldova. After Moldova declared its independence
from the Soviet Union in 1991, its Orthodox commun-
ity was split between Russian speakers who wanted to
belong to the Moscow Patriarchate and Romanian
speakers who wanted to belong to the Romanian
Patriarchate. The Romanian Orthodox Church justi-
fied its dominion on historical grounds, since the
Moldovan region of Bessarabia belonged to Romania
in pre-Communist times and because of the need by
Romanian-speaking Moldovans to celebrate Mass in
their own language.
The church does not agree with the use of contra-
ceptives for birth control but has officially stated
that family planning is a question that should be left
to the discretion of each individual couple in consulta-
tion with their confessor or spiritual father. Abortion
Radu Voda monastery, a Romanian Orthodox church in Bucharest, Romania,
is considered murder and is allowed only when the
is known for its colorful frescoes. O L L I R G / S H U T T E R S T O C K . C O M .
life of the mother is endangered. The Romanian
Orthodox Church considers homosexuality a disorder
and disease, and homosexual actions are deemed sinful
and destructive. circulated manuscripts throughout the region. The first
printing houses functioned in monasteries or diocesan
The church has also been criticized for building seats, and the first secondary schools (such as the college
lavish places of worship throughout the country, which at the Monastery of the Three Holy Hierarchs in Ias,i)
are funded by private donations and government sub- and schools of higher education (such as the Academy of
sidies. Many argue that this money should be used for Saint Sava in Bucharest) were set up under the auspices of
social activities and educational programs. Critics also these monasteries and dioceses. Remarkable artistic
have taken issue with the opening of chapels on public activity developed in all large monasteries, including
university grounds in Bucharest, Oradea, and Suceava
icon, vestment, and liturgical vessel making; embroidery;
and with the fact that priests have agreed to broadcast
and wood sculpting.
their sermons using loudspeakers directed at the neigh-
borhood. Such practices, which some consider akin to The Romanian Orthodox Church also helped other
the proselytizing that mosques engage in, are seen as Christian churches, especially those under Ottoman rule,
imposing religion on neighborhoods without their by printing books in Greek, Arabic, and Georgian and by
consent. granting relief aid to other churches in eastern and south-
eastern Europe and the Near East. Donations by the
CULTURAL IMPACT During the Middle Ages, the Romanian Orthodox Church supported other churches
Romanian Orthodox Church was the main cultural insti- in the fight to retain their national culture and
tution. It printed the first books in Romanian and independence.

40 Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, 2nd Edition

Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, 2nd Edition, Volume 4 Finals/ 8/1/2014 18:30 Page 41
Other Religions
The major Protestant church in the country is the
Reformed Church of Romania, which came into being in
1554. Most of its members belong to the Hungarian
minority and primarily reside in Transylvania. The first
Baptists in Romania date back to 1856, and the first
Pentecostals, to 1922. Since 1989 the Romanian
Orthodox Church has criticized the aggressive proselyt-
izing of Protestant, neo-Protestant, and other religious
groups, describing them as sects. The actions of these
groups are perceived as attempts to convert Orthodox
Church members. However, minority religious groups
have countered that the Orthodox clergy has provoked
isolated mob incidents that targeted their groups. For
example, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has reported
several such incidents in Botos,ani and Galat,i.
The Romanian government reestablished diplo-
matic relations with the Vatican, the Holy See of the
Roman Catholic Church, in 1990. The Catholic Church
in Romania has 12 dioceses of three rites: six Roman
Catholic dioceses, five Greek Catholic dioceses, and the
Ordinariate of Armenian Catholics. On May 79, 1999,
Pope John Paul II (19202005) made a historic visit to
Romania, his first visit to a major Orthodox country.
Relations between the Greek Catholic Church and
the Romanian Orthodox Church are tense because of a
controversy over property restitution of former Greek
Catholic cathedrals and district churches that now
belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. In 1948,
when the Communist government banned the Greek
Catholic Church, the countrys 1.6 million Greek
Catholics had 2,600 churches. At the beginning of the
21st century, the Greek Catholic Church had only 350
churches for its 230,000 faithful. Two hundred of its
churches were new constructions, and 150 were relin-
quished by the Romanian Orthodox Church. (According
to the State Secretariat for Religious Denominations, the
Greek Catholics assert that they have been given only
143 such properties.) In 1990 the government issued a
decree calling for the creation of a joint national
Orthodox and Greek Catholic committee to decide the
fate of churches that belonged to the Greek Catholic
Church prior to 1948. Although the committee met six
times until it was dissolved in 2003, it did not manage to
end the dispute.
Another religion with an important role in
Romanias history is Judaism. According to the official
census of 1930, Romania had 13 million inhabitants,
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, 2nd Edition
ROMANIA
750,000 of whom were Jews. The preliminary results of
the 2002 census reported only 6,179 Jews (although the
Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania asserts
that it has approximately 12,000 members). Most Jews
were deported to concentration camps during World
War II or immigrated to Israel during the Communist
period. Since 1989, 42 buildings have been granted to
the Jewish community by government decree.
Lucian N. Leustean
Revised by Lavinia Stan and Lucian Turcescu
See Also Vol. 1: Baptist Tradition, Christianity, Eastern Orthodoxy,
Pentecostalism, Reformed Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Seventh-
day Adventists
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Bergland, Bruce R., and Brian Porter-Szucs, eds. Christianity and
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Leustean, Lucian N. Orthodoxy and the Cold War: Religion and Political
Power in Romania, 194765. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave
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Pop, Ioan-Aurel. Cultural Diffusion and Religious Reformation in
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Romocea, Cristian. Church and State: Religious Nationalism and State
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Stan, Lavinia, and Lucian Turcescu. Religion and Politics in Post-
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Staniloae, Dumitru. The Experience of God: Orthodox Dogmatic
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Stan, Lavinia, and Lucian Turcescu. The Romanian Orthodox
Church and Democratization: Twenty Years Later.
41
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ROMANIA

International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church 10, nos. 2
3 (2010): 144159.
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