[2], Most Romanian Latin Catholics inhabit the region of Transylvania and Bacu County in Moldavia. The church was being served by 14,035 priests and deacons. As he continued, the Cardinal became more explicit: "We are prepared to face all these problems, in a spirit of collaboration with the competent pan-Orthodox institutions and, for the more specific problems, with each individual Church". [14], During the 14th century, in the years following the establishment of Moldavia and Wallachia as separate states (the Danubian Principalities), Catholic clerics arriving mainly from Jagiellon Poland and Transylvania set up the first Catholic congregations over the Carpathians. Because of its geographical location and long history, its culture and tradition, Romania in a way is a house where East and West meet in natural dialogue" (ORE, 19 May 1999, n. 2, p. 6). [48], The 1927 Concordat was unilaterally denounced on July 17, 1948[42][47] In December of the same year, the Greek-Catholic Church was disestablished, and its patrimony was passed to the Eastern Orthodox Church. [2] The Communists unsuccessfully attempted to convince Catholics to organize themselves into a national church, and to cease their contacts with the Holy See. This was symptomatic of a serious problem with multiple causes, including the persecution and the situation of conflict with the Catholic Church that resulted from the suppression by the regime of the Greek-Catholic Church in 1948. Although the number of adherents of Islam is relatively small, Islam enjoys a 700-year tradition in Romania particularly in Northern Dobruja,[18] a region on the Black Sea coast which was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five centuries (ca. [12] By 1690, Roman Catholics were a minority in Transylvania. Omissions? [23] One of the largest is the Grand Mosque of Constana, originally known as the Carol I Mosque. Religious devotion is especially strong in rural areas and visible in much of public life. [5], In 1962, the Catholic population of Romania was reckoned at around 1.5 million Romanian Greek Catholics (primarily in Transylvania), 1.5 million Latin Catholics of mostly Hungarian and German ethnicity, with the Armenian Catholic population primarily found in the longstanding Transylvanian community. In this new scenario the Holy Father was able to visit Romania in 1999. [39] According to preliminary data from the national 2011 census, 98.4% of the population declared themselves adherents of a religious denomination. The Romanian Delegation made a constructive contribution to the dialogue. Your country has a unique ecumenical vocation stemming from its very roots. Patriarch Teoctist himself visited the sick Cardinal Alexandru Todea, former Metropolitan of the Greek-Catholic Church. Of these, the largest groups were Hungarians (54.7% or 405,212, including Szkely and Csng), Romanians (38.2% or 283,092), Germans (1.7% or 12,495) and Slovaks (0.9% or 6,853). Previous ecumenical relations with the Romanian Church. Uniate Churches | Encyclopedia.com [52] Only two dioceses were allowed (the Bucharest Diocese and the Alba Iulia Diocese),[2][48] while the banned ones continued to function in semi-clandestinity (their new bishops, appointed by the Holy See, were not formally recognized). [27] Lastly, the number of people who have identified with other religions than the ones explicitly mentioned in the 2011 census comes to a total of about 30,000 people.[28]. Anti-religious campaign of Communist Romania - Wikipedia The Patriarch was welcomed in Rome last October with all the respect and affection that he and the Church he presides over deserve. Catholic Church in Romania - Wikipedia Is Romania Catholic or Orthodox? History of Christianity in Romania - Wikipedia The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris church which uses the Byzantine Rite. THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX AND ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES, Mons. Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism - Questions & Answers - Orthodox Church Archdiocese of Tomis. [21] The Moldavian diocese of Siret survived through the early stage of war with the Ottoman Empire, but was ultimately disestablished during the early 15th century, when it moved to Bacu. Why is a Catholic Permitted to Marry in an Orthodox Ceremony? Romanian Orthodox Church: History & Religion | The Church of Romania [23] In Moldavia, Catholicism was reasserted among the Csngs before around 1590, when Franciscan friars took charge of the diocese reestablished in Bacu (1611)[19] and first led by Bernardino Quirini. The Romanian Orthodox Church and Post-Communist Democratisation. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. However, the dialogue between the Bishops also has broader methodological and deontological aspects. [26] After 1644, more Jesuits from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth settled in that country, founding a college in Cotnari and establishing a branch in Iai. Eleuterio F. FortinoUndersecretary, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The Orthodoxincluding Greek, Russian, Romanian, and other national groupsbroke away from Rome nearly 1000 years ago, but the Catholic Church considers them to be schismatic rather than heretical. The majority of its members are Romanians, with groups of Ukrainians from northern Romania. [1], The Romanian state officially recognizes 18 religions and denominations. 1 A further 1.1% identified with another religion (such as another Christian denomination, Islam or Judaism), while the remaining 6.3% did . [2], In both countries, as a result of stately emancipation and lingering conflicts with the Hungarian Kingdom, the relatively strong Catholic presence receded with the establishment of more powerful Eastern Orthodox institutions (the Hungro-Wallachian diocese and the Moldavian diocese). Church leaders proposed building a new cathedral in Bucharest, and the Romanian government built new churches in ethnically Hungarian areas of Romania, provoking criticism. [citation needed], In the 2021 Romanian census, 13.94% of respondents refused to state a religious affiliation. Updates? Eastern Orthodox Church Beliefs. Full unity is gift of the Spirit, Pope tells Orthodox delegation The revived ethnic religion of the Romanians is called Zalmoxianism and is based on The Cardinal's discourse was appreciated for its fraternal tone, its commitment to dialogue and its realistic approach to the unresolved problems. [47], Many Latin Catholic clerics, alongside their approximately 600 Greek-Catholics counterparts,[42] were held in communist prisons from as early as 1947[47] and throughout the 1950s. Next to the Orthodox Church of Russia, the Romanian Church is one of the largest of the Orthodox Churches. It came into being to solve a "specific problem", the question of the ownership and use of places of worship that formerly belonged to the Greek-Catholic Church. The Holy Father was received by the Holy Synod and gave an important address. This is a question that has been raging for decades. [25] The communist repression of against Latin clergy took a less severe form than that against first the Ruthenians of Galicia and then the Romanian Greek Catholics; it was met by resolve among all groups. Christianity first reached Dacia (roughly coextensive with modern Romania) under the Roman Empire at least as early as the 4th century ad. Moreover, the historical and cultural ties with Rome which the Romanians emphasize, continue to be at the root of our relations. The solution of these difficulties will enable us to advance more swiftly towards perfect unity, in full freedom and fidelity". In the first week of January 1987, a few months after his election as head of the Romanian Church, he visited the Pope. [12], Other dioceses were created in Cenad (Csand) and Oradea (Nagyvrad). (PDF) Romania | Lavinia Stan - Academia.edu The Romanian Orthodox Church is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania. [18] New sees were created in that country: in 1371, the one in Siret, and, under the rule of Alexandru cel Bun, the short-lived one of Baia (14051413). [12] In 1304, Pope Boniface VIII sent the first Catholic missionaries from Transylvania into the lands over the Carpathian Mountains (the area known as "Cumania"), where Eastern Orthodox bishops were already present. [3][42][49] At least 70 Eastern Orthodox clergy were imprisoned for refusing to take over the seized Romanian Greek Catholic churches. [28][27] Some Transylvania Romanian Orthodox would join with Rome in 1698. [5][6], The Archdiocese of Bucharest is the metropolitan see for the entire country's Latin jurisdiction, directly overseeing the regions of Muntenia, Northern Dobruja and Oltenia; it has around 52,000 parishioners, most of them Romanians. Romania - United States Department of State [39] Those Romanian Greek Catholics who left their church generally joined the Romanian Orthodox Church for its inherent Romanian identity. Answer The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous (or self-governing) church within Eastern Orthodoxy. Romanian Orthodox Church - Patriarhia.ro [47] In parallel, after 1945, Vladimir Ghika and others led a movement calling for a union between the Latin Catholic and Romanian Orthodox Churches, which caused further suspicions from the new authorities. [25] In 1581, they founded an educational university in Cluj (Kolozsvr), nucleus of the present-day Babe-Bolyai University. This Church has the main feast and the protector on August 15- The Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Romanian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches | EWTN Most of these early members emigrated to the west. [45] The Armenians maintained their autonomous structure, with the Latin Church hierarchy overseeing the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Romania. Christianity is the main religion in Romania. [1], Religious affiliation in Romania according to the 2011 census, given as percentages of the total stable population. [2] Over the early 1920s, the Holy See and Romania engaged in several diplomatic disputes: in one case, the Catholic Church declared itself dissatisfied by the effects of a land reform carried out in 19201921 (as a result of talks, it was occasionally allowed to keep larger estates than the law permitted);[40] in parallel, Romanian authorities were dissatisfied with the activities of certain Latin Catholic prelates in Transylvania and Hungary, whom they suspected of actively supporting Hungarian irredentism (in one of his notes to the Vatican, Pennescu condemned the politically motivated letters addressed by Gyula Glattfelder, the Bishop of Timioara, to his Hungarian-majority congregation). St. Mary's, founded in 1904, is the oldest Romanian Orthodox parish in the United States. [4], In 2008, 19% of Romanians placed "Faith" among maximum four answers to the question "Among the following values, which one is most important in relation to your idea of happiness?". Indeed, the Patriarch's initiative, at his venerable age, of coming to meet the elderly Pope of Rome who paid him a visit in Bucharest in 1999, marked the beginning of fraternal reciprocity between the Churches. In Transylvania the church was accorded no recognition in the post-Reformation settlement, and consequently, by an act of union in 1698, a large proportion of the Romanian Orthodox clergy and laity in Transylvania accepted papal jurisdiction, becoming Eastern-rite Roman Catholics. Daniel Crecan, who is also identified in the report as a Romanian ORTHODOX (not Greek Catholic) parish priest in Bocsa Mantana of the Orthodox Eparchy of Caransebes. Its repercussions extend beyond the boundaries of Romania and help foster the spirit of rapprochement among Christians in general. [41] 83% of Romanians say they observe Sundays and religious holidays, 74.6% worship when they pass by a church, 65.6% say they pray regularly, 60.2% state they sanctify their belongings, house, car, and 53.6% of Romanians donate regularly to the church. This is, in short, why the Church recognizes the marriage of a Catholic in an Orthodox wedding ceremony, but not the marriage of a Catholic . [38], When the Paris Peace Conference confirmed the creation of Greater Romania, Catholics of both churches represented 13 to 14% of its population. [19] In 1497, that location was abandoned by the hierarchy, and was no longer active during the following century. The sight of the Pope and the Patriarch walking together towards the altar in the celebrations of both Orthodox and Catholic liturgies was a visible ecumenical catechesis. Since 1925, the church's Primate bears the title of Patriarch. [45][46] During World War II, several hundred thousand Jews were killed by Romanian or German forces in Romania. The first ecclesiastical metropolitanates for the Romanian provinces were not created until the 14th century, however, and Church Slavonic remained the liturgical language until the 17th century, when Romanian began to replace it. According to a poll conducted by INSCOP in July 2015, 37.8% of Romanians who declare themselves to be religious go to church only on major holidays, 25.4% once a week (especially on Sunday), 18.9% once a month, 10.2% once a year or less, 3.4% say they do not go to church, 2.7% a few times a week, and only 0.9% say they go to church daily.[6]. . The church is divided into 14 dioceses. [25] Romania accommodated various Catholic organizations, including the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (who operated three Bucharest schools by 1913), the Sisters of Mercy, the Passionists, and the Congregation of Notre-Dame de Sion. [47] The Romanian Catholic hierarchies also explicitly refused to let their clergy join the Romanian Communist Party, which singled it out among religious organizations in the country. Unlike Eastern Orthodox Christians, Protestants and Catholics put a greater emphasis on the celebration of Christmas than Easter. [30] One of the most prominent Zalmoxian groups is the Gebeleizis Association (Romanian: Societatea Gebeleizis).[30]. [5], The Eastern Orthodox Church is the largest religious denomination in Romania, numbering 16,307,004 according to the 2011 census, or 81.04% of the population. The two countries were instead awarded ad hoc Divans. According to the 2011 census, there are 870,774 Catholics belonging to the Latin Church in Romania, making up 4.33% of the population. To understand the context of these assertions one should keep in mind that they were said on a festive occasion when the Communist regime of Ceaucescu was in power, the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church did not yet exist although it was on a back-burner and when the Orthodox Church in Romania was encountering problems and the Greek-Catholic Church continued to be "non-existent". By 2011, that number had dropped to 3,271. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [49], 1 Census results were contested by the Romanian Greek Catholic Church[50] which has a very different self-declared membership of: 2,011,635 (1995), 1,390,610 (2000), 707,452 (2010) and 504,280 (2016)[54], Geographical distribution of denominations, Eastern Orthodoxy in Romania (2002 census), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Despite the adversarial status created by the Communist regime with an outright persecution (1958-1964) that created many martyrs of the faith and brought the consequent restrictions and controls, the Romanian Orthodox Church was able to continue her ministry of preaching in the context of worship, as well as her work of sanctification with liturgical celebrations and the administration of the sacraments. [32], In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Moldavia and Wallachia were awarded their own apostolic vicariates, based respectively in Iai and Bucharest. On the other hand, it also illustrated the concept that Church leaders are the active guides of their own faithful, and as such they themselves do what they would like everyone else to do: take steps, even if they require an effort, to meet their brethren and try to solve existing problems. [13] The northern area comprised in the comitatus of Mramaros was originally part of the Alba Iulia Diocese, while the southern one, Szeben, was a provostship not comprised in any bishopric (and thus exempt). [2][19][30] The old Moldavian see of Bacu was itself abolished as a result. [1] The 2012 census indicated that there were 741,276 Romanian citizens adhering to the Latin Church (3.89% of the population). Eleuterio F. Fortino Undersecretary, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Warming relations between East and West The visit that His Beatitude Teoctist, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, made to Rome last 7-13 October had a special significance. It was the Pope's first visit to a country with an Orthodox majority. He expressed his joy at the outcome of the Plenary Session of the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, which resulted in a document on Synodality and Primacy in the Second Millenium and Today. Romania: a model of unity and respect for differences [4] Romania also has a small but historically significant Muslim minority, concentrated in Northern Dobruja, who are mostly of Crimean Tatar and Turkish ethnicity and number around 44,000 people. Some Orthodox Romanians may fast in the weeks before Easter (Lent) or on some religious holidays. Others joined the Hungarian-majority Latin Church, leaving the Romanian Greek Catholic Church isolated and with only 10 percent of its pre-communist membership. Old Believers make up about 0.16% of the population with 30,000 adherents, who are mainly ethnic Russians living in the Danube Delta region. Important sacramental moments in the Orthodox tradition act as significant timestamps in peoples lives, such as baptism, confirmation and Holy Communion. Romanian Orthodox and Roman Catholic priests concelebrate Divine Others also included are Baptists (0.56%), Seventh-day Adventists (0.4%), Unitarians (0.29%), Plymouth Brethren (0.16%) and three Lutheran churches (0.13%), the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Romania (0.1%), the Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania (0.03%) and The Confessional Lutheran Church in Romania (a Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod foreign mission). Religious affiliation in Romania according to the partial 2021 census results, given as percentages of the total stable population. [12], The Diocese of Cumania disappeared for a while, as locals took over its property, but was revived in 13321334, when Pope John XXII appointed the Franciscan Vitus de Monteferro, the chaplain of King Charles Robert, as the new bishop. They have been historically been made up of Lutherans, Calvinists and Unitarians, although in recent years Evangelical Protestants, Pentecostals and newer Protestant groups spread and are holding a greater share. Eastern Orthodox Church Beliefs and Practices Most Protestant and Catholic believers typically reside in the northern region of Transylvania (this includes a small population of Greek Catholics), but many are also located around Bacau county in Moldovia. Matrimony (marriage), holy orders (ordination) and unction (anointing of the sick) are also important practices. [34], In parallel, autonomy for Latin Catholic school administration in Austro-Hungarian Transylvania was recovered in 1873, through the creation of a "Roman-Catholic Status". In his official address and greeting, he said: "We also rejoice because it has been possible for us to be present here. [2][19][20], Over the following centuries, the citadel of Cotnari was home to a notable Catholic community, initially comprising local Hungarians and Germans. There were also many active monasteries and several ecclesiastical and theological publications. She could guarantee the formation of the clergy at various seminaries and two university-level theological faculties at Bucharest and Sibiu. [12] It was also under Maria Theresia that Catholic teaching and school administration came under the supervision of the Commissio catholica (this remained the rule under the Austrian Empire and the early years of Austria-Hungary). The Jehovah's Witnesses number around 50,000 adherents (0.25% of the stable population). [34] Despite this increase in importance, Romania and the Holy See did not formally establish diplomatic relations for several decades. Between Moscow and London: Romanian Orthodoxy and National Communism, 19601965. For example, government and public events often begin with a religious service. What is the Romanian Orthodox Church? | GotQuestions.org [2] On August 15, 1930, the bishop of Bucharest was appointed metropolitan (the others becoming suffragans).