Conservative Orthodoxy in Romania

• In Event: Orthodox Churches and Politics since 1989: Part Two

Abstract

Drawing on a combination of religious studies and political science perspectives, this article examines the main values of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the denomination which commands the loyalty of some 86 percent of that country's population. After providing a brief historical overview of the Church during the pre-communist and communist periods, the article focuses on the Church's post-communist values as reflected by its nationalist views, homophobia, and intolerance towards other religious groups. The efforts to erect a new national cathedral in Bucharest have been widely scrutinized because of the Church's narrow understanding of the nation that excluded ethnic and religious minorities. For a variety of reasons the Romanian Orthodox Church has not embraced the staunch antiabortion position championed by the Roman Catholic Church, although some monks voiced very radical and conservative views on this subject. Instead, the Church has directed its wrath against same-sex couples and homosexual behavior, which are criticized both inside and outside of the Church. Last, the Church and those close to it have time and again shown intolerance toward other religious denominations, whose interests and presence in the country it has repeatedly undermined when a new Law on Religion was drafted in 2006. Research for this article rested on extensive work in Romanian archives, as well as interviews with Romanian church and state officials.

Authors

• Lavinia Stan, St Francis Xavier U (Canada)

• Lucian Turcescu, Concordia U (Canada)