Between Moscow and London: Romanian Orthodoxy and National Communism, 1960–5

Abstract

The particular position of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Eastern bloc was depicted by Reverend Francis House in a confidential report written to the World Council of Churches after travelling to Bulgaria, Romania and the Soviet Union in 1961. According to his report, the Orthodox churches performed three similar purposes in these countries: to diminish or eliminate any opposition to the regimes; to preserve ‘religious sentiments’ of their population; and to support the governmental ‘peace’ propaganda and political triumph of communism. While the churches had the same roles, their regimes followed different attitudes towards religion. The church in the Soviet Union was financially separated from the state and the salaries of the clergy were only paid by their congregations. In Bulgaria the clergy received salaries from the state but which covered only the subsistence level. Romania enjoyed the best financial position as salaries were equivalent to the average wage of the population. The Romanian Orthodox Church distinguished itself in the communist bloc by receiving financial subsidies for restoring and building around 30 new churches since the end of the Second World War, with the state covering almost one third of the expenses. It was the only church in Eastern Europe which published significant religious and liturgical works, and even translated some books from the West. In addition, compared to other patriarchs, Justinian was a more visible figure in the public arena and a guest at major diplomatic receptions.1 KeywordsCentral CommitteeElectoral CollegiumRomanian CommunityWorld CouncilPastoral LetterThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.