www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Catholics Forcibly Evicted from Romanian Parish Church

BUCHAREST, Mar 18, 02 (CWNews.com) -- Romanian Catholic worshippers have been forcibly ousted by a local Orthodox contingent from a parish church in the town of Ocna-Mures-- in spite of a court ruling that gave the church to the Catholic parish.

In the latest clash over church property that had been confiscated from the Byzantine Catholic Church in 1948, under the country's Communist regime, an Orthodox group led by two priests broke down the doors of the Ocna-Mures parish church on March 16, and carried out the Catholics who were praying there. When the Catholic pastor, Father Alexandru Biris, called for police help, the local police assisted the Orthodox group in removing the Catholic parishioners.

Romanian Catholic Archbishop Lucian Muresan of Alba Julia issued a statement bitterly protesting the " anti-constitutional and religiously intolerant actions" in Ocna-Mures. He charged that the violent eviction of Catholic worshipers from their own parish church "very mush resembles the situation of the Byzantine Catholic Church in 1948."

The archbishop added the police collaboration in the eviction-- despite the court ruling that had given the church to the local Catholic parish-- "proves the fact that the right to religious freedom in Romania-- and any democratic principles of the state-- are constantly and grossly violated."

The situation in Ocna-Mures-- like many other conflicts between Romanian Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic parishioners-- has been fueled by years of public dispute, and multiple court battles. In February, after eight years of such disputes, the Catholics of Ocna-Mures won a court ruling restoring their right to use the parish church, which had been confiscated from them in 1948. But Orthodox officials appealed the ruling, and-- while the appeal was still in process-- demanded that the Catholics leave the building.

To defend their church, Catholic parishioners had taken turns praying there, so that there were Catholic worshippers in the building at all times. On March 8, a small number of Catholics successfully resisted the efforts of an Orthodox group to evict them. The Orthodox contingent, however, returned in force one week later, carrying clubs and crowbars, breaking down the doors during the early-morning hours of Saturday, March 16.

Disputes between Romanian Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic groups over the possession of parish property have been a source of constant friction between the two religious groups since the fall of the Communist regime and the revival of the Romanian Catholic hierarchy. In 1999, prior to the visit by Pope John Paul II to Romania, representatives of the Vatican and the Romanian Orthodox Church agreed that such disputes should be resolved by a joint committee of Catholic and Orthodox delegates.

Earlier this year, however, Romanian Catholic leaders have made it clear that the process of ecumenical dialogue has broken down, since only a handful of Catholic parish churches have been restored to their Byzantine-rite congregations since the joint committee began its work. Catholic bishops have begun to appeal to the secular courts of Romania.

In a statement complaining about the Orthodox failure to relinquish control of the Ocna-Mures parish, Archbishop Lucian remarked that Romanian Catholic Church, "denied the right of ownership of the churches and buildings confiscated from her by the former Communist regime, is hopeful that divine justice will remain the model for human justice" despite the latest setback.

The patron saint of Catholic-Orthodox ecumenism must be Sisyphus----the legendary king of Corinth who was condemned to roll a heavy log up a steep hill in Hades,only to have it roll down again as it reached the top.

Catholic-Orthodox ecumenism was a wonderful dream while it lasted...but it was only a vain dream.

Power and turf trump charity. That is the way of mankind--Christian and non-Christian, Catholic and Orthodox.

It is written: There is no exit.

ER

Glory to Jesus Christ!

A man far wiser than me, once said, "One day the Catholic and Orthodox Churches will reunite. But man alone will not make it happen, only God can... and will make this happen one day."

God Bless us all Catholic and Orthodox alike.

IC XC NIKA,
-Nik!

Unfortunately, the situation of the Greek Catholic Church in Romania is sad. They're not able to defend themselves because the policemen are orthodox, the courts are orthodox, the President (who was a fervent communist) is now orthodox and ultraconservative, and the medias are orthodox too.
In adition to the problem with the Orthodox church, the greek catholics have to deal with the uncharitable possition of the Latin-rite church and the magyar-german catholics refuse to share their parishes with the GC.

Dear Remie,

As I agonize over such issues, I often find myself wondering what would happen if Rome simply instructed the Eastern Catholics to return to their Orthodox Mother Churches?

So much politics and nationalism is involved, and since Rome already recognizes the Apostolic reality of the Orthodox Churches, wouldn't this save trouble for everyone?

Alex

I doubt it would work Alex...Rome would just be accused of sabotage from within. I have just about decided that no matter what Rome does, most Orthodox leaders will consider it the done for the wrong reasons. I guess all of those things Jesus said about forgiveness doesn't apply to the Roman Church. I will be the first to acknowledge her sins in the past and that there will probably be more in the future...but I do think that the present day Church IS TRYING to better relations with Orthodoxy for the right reasons...that we all may be one. And not one as in Rome the medieval lord and everyone else her vassals, but rather as equal sister Churches. Oh well... in God's time if it is meant to be.
Don

Dear Don,

As usual, you are the paragon of wisdom!

An Orthodox priest, of the Patriarchal Parishes in the U.S. no less, once took me to task for being too harsh about the Unia in my conversation with him.

He said that it was God's Will that the Unia come about, and that it would serve a definite purpose in his plan.

Thanks to him, I'm O.K. about the Unia today .

Alex

The fact is that the Greek Catholics left the Romanian Orthodox Church because they were not happy and suffered persecutions and intolerance. They prefer to have aseparate identity that make them special.
Uniatism is a complex situation.
I think that they have the right to exist (now) but if full communion between Rome and the Orthodox is re-established, they will have to choose between two options: Reunion with their Mother Orthdox Churches or become part of the Latin Church. Both options will have disadvantages and would be painful for them, because the Greek Catholics (specially in Romania) would feel that they were used by Rome, that they would be again in the hands of those who permormed the persecutions against them, and the union will be happy and sad at the same time.

Dear Remie,

How interesting!

So the Romanian Greek Catholics left their Mother Church because of persecution?

Who were they to have been persecuted while in Orthodoxy? Were they a particular ethnic group?

Alex

So the Romanian Greek Catholics left their Mother Church because of persecution?

No they didn't. They left it because of many reasons (Hungaian anexation of their land, calvinist expansion, trouble with Greek bishops and hellenization...), when Transylvania became part of Romania again, the greek catholics were seen as "traitors" and had the antipathy of the Orthodox people, but the persecutions appeared during the Communist period. The government disolved the BRU and forced a reunion with the orthodox church. The greek catholic bishops were arrested and a lot of priests were imprissioned or killed. It's been said that Orthodox prelates agreed with the government and were silent while the Greek catholics were suffering (recently the Orthodox bishop Nicolae Corneanu accepted that fact), but we should try to understand that they had to do that in order to avoid a persecution of their own church and the faithful (the same reasons that led Pope Pius XII and some catholic hierarchs to be silent during the Nazi period).

Who were they to have been persecuted while in Orthodoxy? Were they a particular ethnic group?

Actually the problem is that they're not a particular ethnic group. They're Romanians and for some Romanian nationalists, being Catholic and being Hungarian are the same thing (did you know that in the gypsy lands, when someone is blond and very white, they make fun calling him or her "catholic" and "hungarian", as a joke?)

Dear Alex,

Rome would abandon all claim to be The Church and all authority to declare Saints, etc. The work, not only of John Paul II, but of all the Popes of the 20th Century, would be thrown away.

The only authentic Catholics left would be the Greek Catholics. Those who by their "rivers of blood and mountains of corpses" testified to the glory of God and the triumph over the darkest evils by His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.


It depends on what Metropolitan Lubomyr Husar says and does. After all, anyone not in communion with him is not really in the Real Church.

The Orthodox don't want us anyway, except when czars and commisars order them to round up the usual suspects. I suppose we would have to be the Cathodox Church all by ourselves.


John
Pilgrim and Odd Duck

Now that they are no longer controlled by Hungarians, nor having problems with Hellenization, it would seem that if they reunited with their Orthodox Brethren, that all the problems would cease.

This question touches at the heart of Unia Phenomena itself. Why did it occur? If the reasons for it were mainly because a group of Romanians were annexed by the Magyars and so entered into Union with the Roman Church for political benefit and religious survival, then why would they be against rejoining their original Church for the same reasons? If it was the answer then, why not now?

After all as Byzantine Catholics, we are Orthodox in union with Rome. But we are Orthodox, are'nt we? If the Byz. Romanian Caths. are Orthodox as are the Orthodox, why do they insist on maintaining a Uniatism that is no longer serving for the benefit of her flock?

Confused and saddened,
Ality

[quote]After all as Byzantine Catholics, we are Orthodox in union with Rome. But we are Orthodox, are'nt we?{/quote]

As an Orthodox Christian, I feel we have sinned against the Greek Catholic Church in Romania. certainly, history is that this Church turned to Rome because we Orthodox tried to Hellenize and Bulgar them. They have a right to their own national culture and we did not respect that.

However, on another issue. Remember the old days when the minimal justice a father was expected to do for his child, is give him "a name" -- i.e. marry his mother so the child would not be a bastard?

Could we Orthodox please have that minimal respect from Catholics? We are Orthodox, you are Catholic. No one is reading excessively into these terms. I do feel disrespect that we can have no word in the English language to apply to our communion. "Byzantine" seems to appropriately indicate the common patrimony of Orthodox and Byzantine Catholics.

Axios