A New Solution Is Required for an Old Problem

Today, September 29, 2009, at the Patriarchal Residence, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, has received a group of 30 priests from the Orthodox Diocese of Maramures and Satmar, led by Rev. Ioan Socolan, protopresbyter of Satu Mare, and Rev. Marian Crainic, protopresbyter of Carei.

The priests from the Orthodox Diocese of Maramures and Satmar informed His Beatitude about the patrimonial debates with the Eastern Catholic Church of Byzantine Rite (Greek-Catholic), expressing concern about the clearly prejudiced attitude of several courts of law (made up predominantly of judges of Greek-Catholic religion) and of representatives of local authorities in the resolving litigations between the two religious communities. To this end, several actual situations were brought up, in which, for example, Orthodox parishes in the Maramures and Satu Mare counties were sued, even if in their respective areas there are no Byzantine Catholic believers, or in other cases, although the Orthodox faithful contributed to building a new worship place for Byzantine Catholics, they sued to reclaim the church now belonging to the Orthodox majority in their respective areas. It is thus obvious the attempt of the Eastern Catholic Church of Byzantine Rite in Romania to gain these Orthodox worship places with the intent of swaying the Orthodox faithful who attend them, the two reverend protopresbyters said.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has pointed out that the issue raised by the priests from the Orthodox Diocese of Maramures and Satmar is in the permanent attention of the Romanian Patriarchate, which has repeatedly tried to sensitize the Romanian authorities in order to adopt laws and devise practical solutions for the resolving of the patrimonial debates between the two Romanian Churches, in accordance with the religious reality of the different areas. At the same time, the Romanian Patriarch has underlined the need for a better communication of these issues by the Orthodox parishes and dioceses in Transylvania to the authorities and the public both in Romania and abroad.

At the end of the meeting, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel informed the priests from the Orthodox Diocese of Maramures and Satmar that the Chancery of the Holy Synod is already preparing a new letter concerning these issues, which will be forwarded next week to the Romanian Presidency, to the Parliament and the Government. These problems will also be discussed within the Government-Patriarchate Mixed Commission.

The group of priests from the Maramures and Satu Mare counties has also presented today its viewpoint on the patrimonial differences with the Greek-Catholic parishes to the Romanian Presidency, to the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament and to the Ministry of Culture and Religions.

THE PRESS OFFICE OF THE ROMANIAN PATRIARCHATE