State Secretary for Religious Affairs

Romanian President enacts law establishing May 16 as National Day of Religious Freedom

Romanian President Nicușor Dan has signed into law a bill establishing the National Day of Religious Freedom and of the Contribution of Religious Communities to Romanian Society, to be celebrated annually on May 16 starting next year. According to the new legislation, May 16 will be marked by “cultural-religious and educational events dedicated to religious…

Jun 11, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian State Secretary visits Chișinău to strengthen ties with Metropolis of Bessarabia

Ciprian-Vasile Olinici, State Secretary for Religious Affairs in the Romanian Government, visited the Metropolitan Residence in Chișinău last Thursday, where he was received by the Metropolitan of Bessarabia. The discussions focused on the pastoral, social, and cultural activities of the Metropolis of Bessarabia, as well as on projects supported by the Romanian state. Father Gabriel-Andrei…

May 26, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian lawmakers establish National Day honouring religious freedom and the role of faith communities

Last week, the Chamber of Deputies approved a law establishing May 16 as the National Day of Religious Freedom and the Contribution of Religious Denominations to Romanian Society. The Senate passed the bill at the end of last year, and the law’s final version was submitted on Wednesday to the Secretary-General for potential constitutional review.…

May 22, 2025Aurelian Iftimiu

Patriarch Daniel highlights importance of State-Religious dialogue for Romanian society

Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church emphasized the crucial role of cooperation between the state and religious denominations during a meeting held at the Roman Catholic Episcopal Palace in Oradea on Tuesday. The event, part of the ongoing activities of the State-Religious Dialogue Commission, aimed to strengthen collaboration between the government and religious institutions.…

Oct 10, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Romanian Prime Minister meets with Metropolitan of Bessarabia to discuss future projects

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu met with Metropolitan Petru of Bessarabia at the Metropolitan Residence in Chișinău on Friday, October 4. During the visit, several upcoming projects of significant historical and symbolic importance were presented to the prime minister in the context of the Centennial of the Bessarabian Metropolis. The Metropolis will celebrate its 100th…

Oct 10, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Government, religious denominations consolidate their collaboration. Romania to establish Religious Freedom Day

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and other representatives of religious denominations officially recognised in Romania met with state representatives at the National Art Museum on Wednesday, April 10. The participants discussed aspects related to consolidating their collaboration at a social level. “Today, the Romanian Orthodox Church is convinced that in cooperation with state institutions, it can…

Apr 16, 2024Aurelian Iftimiu

Important data on the Church and the School. There are 16,403 Orthodox churches and 19,543 schools in Romania

The Romanian State Secretariat for Religious Affairs recently published official statistics on its website on the number of places of worship belonging to the 18 religious denominations recognized in Romania. According to the data, which reflects the situation as of December 31, 2015, the Romanian Orthodox Church has 16,403 churches, representing 59.9% of the total…

Sep 25, 2017Aurelian Iftimiu

Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți opens first hospital in Dolhasca | ‘It is a place of physical and spiritual healing’

On Sunday, the first hospital of the Suceava and Rădăuți Archdiocese was inaugurated in Dolhasca, which will provide medical services to over 10,000 inhabitants in the area. His Eminence Archbishop Pimen officiated the blessing service for the medical, social unit dedicated to St George the Victory-Bearer, after which Abp. Pimen celebrated the Divine Liturgy. The…

Aug 22, 2017Aurelian Iftimiu