BBC Streaming the Knowledge on Romania's Church Matters

http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2008/01/080118_interviul_zilei.shtml

Interesting and pertinent commentaries on Church matters related to beginning of His Beatitude Daniel Patriarchal leadership, Securitate Archives - Church relationships, and the situation and history of Metropolitanate of Bessarabia.

At BBC "The Interview of the Day" Petre Guran, professor of Byzantine Studies, in dialogue with the eminent journalist Mircea Zamfir on the above sensitive matters.

Unfortunately for my only English speaking visitors the interview is in Romanian.
If you would like to have a resume or a full translation of the interview please live a comment with your request.

Patriarchates Conflict Become Inter-States Scandal said Bishop Mark Egorievsky

"The Church conflict become an inter-state scandal" said today the Russian daily Kommersant, a business newspaper that is aknoledging the position of Moscow Patriarchate. " The actions of the Romanian Patriarchate are representing a political step made by Bucharest authorities who desire to insure for themselves the support of the Council of Europe regarding the absorbtion [literally in Russian: swollwing] of Republic of Moldova not only in its religious dimenssion but also in its political and territory, said Bishop Mark Egorievsky, the auxiliary of the Foreign Affaires head of Moscow Patriarchate.

Romanian Patriarchate Expressed Disagreement Regarding Romanian Translation and Publishing of The Satanic Verses

It is well known that the Romanian Orthodox Church is one of the most ecumenical and devoted to inter-religious dialogue. The Publishing of the Satanic verses become an unpleasent event not only for Muslims in Romania but also for Orthodox Christians. Thus, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church has denounced the publication of a Romanian translation of Satanic Verses, saying the book attacks the spiritual values and symbols of all religions.

Patriarch Daniel released a statement on behalf of the Romanian Orthodox Church stating that the novel offends ‘spiritual values’ and ‘religious symbols’ of all Religions.

According to the Romania's Legislation ‘all forms, all means, all acts of animosity toward religion,’ as well as ‘the public defamation of religious symbols are criminalized.

The Polirom Publishing House indeed initiated a grave insult to Romania’s 100,000 + Muslim citizens.

We have no reaction to this publishing event on behalf of other Churches in Romania, either Roman - Catholic, Protestant or New Protestant.

Vladimir Voronin compares Kosovo with Metropolitanate of Bessarabia.

President of Republic of Moldova, Vladimir Voronin attacked again the being of Metropolitanate of Bessarabia.

During an official visit in Bruxelles he warn that reactivation of the Bessarabia Metropolitanate creates the risk of a conflictual situation similar to the one in Kosovo.

At the joint press conference with Jose Manuel Barroso Voronin said that he will attack the decision of the European Court of Human Rights that decided in 2001 that the Republic of Moldova authorities have to recognize the legallity and legitimacy of the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia.

Bishop Tokes and the Kosovo Case

As many politicians in Europe expressed that an independent Kosovo will create a precedent and a model for other claims of independence, and an Italian politician mentioned especially the case of Hungarians in Romania, Bishop Tokes, now Europarlamentarian said that it is not comparable and it is not the case to make such a comparation.

"Hungarians in Romania would like to have more authonomy but there is no discussion at all about independence of the Magyar Region" that is mainly formed by two counties, Harghita and Covasna said the Bishop.

Bishop Tokes elected Europarlamentarian

Running alone, Bishop Tokes from the Reformed Church in Romania won elections and become Europerlamentarian. Bishop Tokes is a hero figure of the 1989 Revolution against Ceausescu. In fact he spark the anti-communist revolution in Timisoara.

He succeded to take more than the Democtatic Forum of Magyars in Romania, a political structure that is part of the today Government of Romania.

Patriarch Pavle taking the side of Moscow Patriarchate

In case of re-opening ancient Bishoprics existing before the Ribbentrop Molotov Pact, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia said that the he is fully supporting the Moscow in its efforts to establish the canonical order in the Republic of Moldova. He also said that the Bessarabia was canonical teritory of Moscow. The poor, old guy, Patriarch of Serbia does not know what he is talking about and no cancellor of him gave adviced about the historical truth.

Metropolitanate of Bessarabia Addressed Letter to the European Commission

Metropolitan Petru of Balti wrote a letter to the European Commission complaning against the intimidation policy of state authorities of the Republic of Moldova against priests, monks and nuns under his juristdiction.

President Voronin Kept His Word

After threatening the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia that it will be declared illeagal, now Voronin as he can not simply do this to the institution, began declaring illeagal preists, monks and nuns.

President Voronin, on 1st of December 2007, gave [in Russian language] an interview to BBC Romania and said that his intention is to disrespect the 1991 decison the European Court of Human Rights that forced the State of the Republic of Moldova to recognize the legallity of the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia.

See the interview if you know Russian
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/romanian/meta/dps/2007/12/071201_voronin_biserica?size=au&bgc=003399&lang=ro&nbram=1&nbwm=1

Persecution of New Calendar Clergy in the Republic of Moldova

1 Nun and 4 Clergy form Metropolitanate of Bessarabia were expelled from the Republic of Moldova

Persecution expands to midd clergy after Metropolitan Petru was accused of drug dealing.

A Response to the Diplomatic Visit and the Proposal for Dialogue or . . . "The Gallbladder Attack of Moscow Patriarchate"?

What happened after the Visit of the Russian Ambassador to Patriarch Daniel? Can we say it is a deepening of the crisis? Indeed, someone had a gallbladder attack and as a consequence used strange methods of nurturing the dialogue between the two sister Churches.

For the moment we know very few only from the news:

1. After celebrating Christmas according to the New Calendar in Iasi, Romania, and celebrating the Christmas Liturgy with Patriarch Daniel, Metropolitan Petru of Balti [he is under Romanian Patriarchate juristdiction] at his return at home, in the Republic of Moldova, was kept by the cusomers and accused of trafficking drugs.

The press agencies said that, while kepping Metropolitan Petru, the whole acitvity of the Custom of the Republic of Moldova were suspended in order to create the feeling that he is a high risk infractor.

2. Other New Calendar Priests in the Republic of Moldova were arreseted, declared illegal and few expeled.

3. This extended intimidation action targeting the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia and its parishes follows after the expel of two Romanian Diplomats.

For the moment we do not have any officially published reaction from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affaires or from the Romanian Patriarchate

Russian Diplomacy interested in Romanian - Moscow Patriachates Crisis

On 5th of December 2007, at the Patriarchal residence, Patriarch Daniel received the visit of His Excelency Alexander Churilin, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Romania. In a Communique released by the Romanian Patriarchate it is said that the Ambassador undelined the strong spiritual links between the two Orthodox nations, the good relations along the history. He also made remarks regarding the personality of Patriarch Daniel as a worthy successor of Patriarch Teoctist.

His specific interest was in how the problems between the two sister Churches can be better solved.

The Communique wrote that Patriarch Daniel stated that there is need to search together for the best modalities and means to find a resolution for the problems, undelining that local cooperation and local dialogue [i.e of those in the Bessarabia - Republic of Moldova] are adequate and proper solutions for solving divergences. The Patriarch said that in spite of all difficulties the first mission of the two Churches is to promote and defend the Christian values in Europe.

We can not yet say if the visit was initiated by the Russian Diplomacy or it was at the request of the Moscow Patriarchate that used diplomacy to initiate an exit and replace the crisis from Church affaires to state affaires by moving the reference from an ecclesiastic problem to a political one. We will see. What we can notices is the fact that the visit of the Russian Ambassador was and interesting move.

Church Crisis: The Romanian Patriarchate and Moscow Patriarchate on the issue of juristdiction in the Republic of Moldova

After the Holy Synod of Romanian Orthodx Church decided to re-estabilsh the ancient Bishoprics in Bessarabia [nowadays Republic of Moldova] (see below the article on this topic) the Romanian Patriarchate - Russian Patriarchate crisis evolved. The dialogue already scheduled was supposed to be posponed, but later took place in Bulgaria, hosted by Bugarian partiarchate.

It came to no conlclusion, except the fact that the delegation of the Russian Patriarchate was inflexible, not taking into consideration the history before Ribbentrop - Molotov Agreement.

The Romanian Orthodox Church came with nuances and proposals for continuing the dialogue.

It is to be noticed that the President of Romania, Traian Basescu expressed seriously his intention to denounce in the Romanian Parliament the Ribbentrop - Molotov Agreement.

We can not yet say if the re-opening of the ancient Bishoprics in Bessarabia [Republic of Moldova] and the preparation of Romanian Presidency to denounce the Ribbentrop - Molotov Agreement could be seen as a corelation of State and Church Policy regarding the process of healing the Romanian wonds caused of the Imeperialist Fascist and Bolshevic policy towards Romania. We keep searching the topic.

If you would like more detailes on it, please live a comment with your address and I will answer to you.

Clergy Out of Electoral Process in the Romanian Orthodox Church

The Holy Sinod of the Romanian Orthodx Church decided that the lay and the midd clergy [priests and deacons] will only have a consultative role in the process of electing Bishops.

This was a very hard decision to be taken but with a very littlle or [ better to say] no debate at all.

The early tradition of the Romanian Orthodox Church regarding the election of the Bishops was that the 2/3 lay and 1/3 clergy are participating in electoral process of hierarchs.

The only hierarch against the decision to take out the lay people was the Archbishop of Cluj, Bartolemeu Anania who criticize from the very beginnning the initiative to discuss this topic that leads the Romanian Orthodox Church in a corner of a Clericalist Institution, not anymore belonging to the faithfull.

In an interview given to BBC, Radu Preda, Theologian and Profesor at Babes-Bolyai University was also critical and called it " a Palace puch against the Church".

The decision makes Patriarch Daniel the last democratically elected hierarch in the Romanian Orthodox Church, while all new bishops will be viewd as representatives of the clericalist line in the Church.