In an address initiated by the Romanian Patriarchate, thirteen representatives of religious denominations in Romania requested the inclusion of Religion in the list of subjects for which the Baccalaureate exam can be taken. The signatories also demand the removal from the new draft Law on pre-university education of some provisions related to the new ideologies. Religion as a school subject is “one of the few that is studied throughout pre-university education and the only one that has been v...

Der rumänisch-orthodoxe Patriarch Daniel hat Justin Welby, Erzbischof von Canterbury und Primas der Anglikanischen Kirche, empfangen, wie der "Pro Oriente"-Informationsdienst mitteilte. Der Patriarch dankte bei der Begegnung am Amtssitz des Patriarchats in Bukarest dem Erzbischof u.a. für die guten ökumenischen Beziehungen zwischen beiden Kirchen in Großbritannien. Insgesamt 38 Kirchen bzw. Gottesdienststätten würden der Rumänischen Orthodoxen Kirche von der Anglikanischen Kirche zur Verfügun...

Die Rumänische Orthodoxe Kirche (RumOK) ist weiter im Wachsen, zumindest in der Diaspora. Das geht aus statistischen Daten hervor, die das Patriarchat in Bukarest laut Pro Oriente-Informationsdienst dieser Tage veröffentlichte. Die RumOK verfügt außerhalb Rumäniens über vier Erzdiözesen und neun Diözesen mit insgesamt 1483 Pfarren oder pfarrähnlichen Einrichtungen (2021: 1472). Die Zahl der Klöster hat sich von 67 (2021) auf 71 erhöht, jene der Kleriker von 1311 (2021) auf 1379. Im Jahr...

The Solemn and Commemorative Year 2023 was officially proclaimed at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest after the Divine Liturgy celebrated on New Year’s Day. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church declared 2023 as a Solemn Year of the pastoral care of the elderly and a Commemorative Year of hymnographers and church chanters. The patriarchal auxiliary bishop Varlaam of Ploiesti read the Proclamation Decree signed by the members of the Holy Synod. The text remembered that the Holy S...

According to survey results presented at the Romanian Academy in Bucharest on December 15, the Orthodox Church remains the most trusted institution in Romania. Overall, according to the survey carried out under the auspices of the State Secretariat for Cults, 66.3% of Romanians says they place a lot of trust in the Church, reports Ziarul Lumina. This is slightly higher than in a survey conducted in January 2021. Moreover, more than 83% of the population confesses their religiosity through con...

Am 21. Oktober 2022 wurde in Oradea der neue Bischof des Westlichen Kirchendistrikts der Reformierten Kirche in Rumänien gewählt. Die Wahl wurde notwendig, weil Bischof István Csűry, der den Kirchendistrikt seit 2009 leitete, in den Ruhestand getreten ist. Zur Wahl standen der stellvertretende Bischof László Forró und Pfarrer János Szabolcs Bogdán, Dekan der Diözese Șimleu Silvaniei /Szilágysomlyó. Gewählt wurde Bogán mit 54 zu 49 Stimmen. Er wird sein neues Amt am 1. Dezember 2022 antreten. ...

On Tuesday, October 25, 2022, the Romanian Patriarchate and the Ministry of Health signed a Protocol regarding the conduct of Christian-Orthodox religious assistance activities in health units subject to the Ministry of Health. The two institutions were represented by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church and Prof. Dr Alexandru Rafila, Romania’s Minister of Health. This protocol, which revises and replaces those of 1995 and 2008, is intended to regulate the activity o...

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel marked 15 years since his enthronement as Patriarch of Romania on Friday, September 30. On this important event in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest. After a Te Deum service officiated by Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe, the Patriarch of Romania gave a speech in which he thanked God and those who have supported and continue to support the activities...

(Radio Free Europe, www.rferl.org, 26. Juni 2022) Romania is considering a bill that would ban minors from being exposed to so-called "gay propaganda" in schools and in public life, despite warnings from rights groups that it would "fuel Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns" and reinstate censorship in the former communist country. Seven lawmakers from the ethnic Hungarian UDMR, a junior ruling coalition party, initiated the bill under the guise of preventing child abuse and promot...