Religious Groups: Romanian Orthodox

The majority of Romanians identify themselves as Romanian Orthodox, making up nearly 85% of the country’s population. However, many are nominal members and do not actively engage in church life with only 40% attending service regularly. While Romanian and all of Eastern Orthodoxy are loosely related to Western Christianity, they vary in many important aspects. In Romanian Orthodoxy, doctrine and Scripture is of great importance as is the case for all Christians. However, the church emphasizes one’s personal experience of truth as opposed to particular definitions of theological terminology. Romanian Orthodoxy further emphasizes the divine relationship between God and humans, and humans are seen in a more positive light than in Western Christianity, as the image of God is more readily emphasized. Sin results not from human action but instead results from the separation of God and humans. To reach salvation, the process of deification, or fully joining with God in the divine life, must take place. Romanian Orthodoxy also tends to focus more on Christ’s divinity within the Trinity rather than his humanity. A divergence that may seem minor takes place in how Western Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy view the Holy Spirit. Eastern Orthodoxy proclaims that both the Son and Holy Spirit stem from the Father whereas Western Christianity states the origin of the Holy Spirit from both the Father and Son.

The Romanian Orthodox Church’s evolution over the last hundred years has strongly been tied to state influence and thus the various parties in power. When Communists first came into power in 1947, the Orthodox Church, like others, was weakened by the party and mass purges of clergy were initiated. The Romanian Orthodox Church’s cooperation and support of Communism was bought off by the government reallocating Catholic assets to them and lending financial support in terms of salaries and subsidies for publications. The Orthodox Church’s situation further improved in the early 1960s when government officials attempted to link state communism to nationalism. Already having strong nationalistic influence, the Church was a key player in establishing the desired ties and recovered much of its lost power. Since the fall of Communism in 1989, the Orthodox Church is no longer under state control, but still receives substantial funding.

Submitted by: Bethany, Claire, Sarah