COMENIUS MULTILATERAL PROJECT FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN COMISSION

“ R.R.E.V.“ (REDISCOVER THE REAL EUROPEAN VALUES)

PARTNERS: Romania, Estonia, Italy, Spain, Norway, France, Cyprus, Holland, Turkey.

EXAMPLES OF ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS TOLERENCE THROUGHOUT ROMANIAN

HISTORY

‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be

made of the information contained therein.’

Throughout our national history there has always

been an ethnic and cultural diversity.

in the four geographic regions of Romania:

Transylvania, Moldova, Walachia and Dobrudgea .

The foreign travelers, particularly Catholic

missionaries and especially the Franciscans, mentions the co-existence in these geographic regions, apart

from the Romanian majority, of Saxons, Polish, Italians,

Greeks, Hungarian, Armenian, Hebrew and

later of Russian Lipovan and Gypsy.

Even though the Great Schism of 1054 divided the Christian population of Europe in two

parts, Orthodox and Catholics, the inhabitants of Romanian

towns coexisted peacefully, even if some were Catholic and the

most of them Orthodox.We can find this information in the testimonies

of the Christian missionaries and travelers present the characteristic aspects of daily life of towns cities and of people, their occupations, religion, traditions and customs. For example the words of Giovanni Maria Angioleti (1470) which accompanied the Sultan Mohammed II in Moldavian campaign against Stephen the Great or of scholar travellers such as Antonio Bonfini, Enea Silvio Picolorini , Sebastian Munzer, Johann Sommer, Marco Bandini.

N. Iorga , the most famous Romanian historian, in his book: "Passengers, ambassadors and

missionaries in our countries" mentions that "many apostles of the Roman Rite" (such

as:Franciscan monks, Querini (Catholic Bishop of Arges county ), Rémond, Bakich and

especially Bandini, bishop of Marcianopol, Gasparo de Nota, Francesca Maria Spera)

arrived on our territory to increase the number of believers. They wrote reports to the

Congregation of Propaganda Fide and to the Pope himself, pages about Moldovian and

Romanian tolerance. In the Moldavia region, at the confluence of the two

rivers Moldova and Siret, in our town of Roman many nationalities co-existed

peacefully with Romanians: Saxon craftsmen and

merchants, Hungarian, Polish, Armenian, Hebrew and a Catholic minority.

As a result of the good relations between the

Orthodox majority and the Catholic minority, the

Romanian rulers accepted the foundation of the first

Catholic bishopric in Siret,Moldova in 1371.Also, the openess of the

local rulers can be understood from the

foundation of a famous school called: “Scola

Latina” founded by the protestants who were

specially brought by the voivode Despot Voda” (1561). The school was later taken under the guidance of the Jesuit

monks(1585).

In the 19-th century, the industrial development determined an increased number of town

inhabitants, among them being many different nationalities

who were treated equally by the native inhabitants and administration.

In 1832 in Roman there were 21,46 % inhabitants of foreign origin and different

religions. 

The national minorities contributed to the evolution

and prosperity of the Romanian society and as citizens of their adoptive

country they participated at the war of independence (1877-1878 )and at both

World Wars. In 1918,when Romania was

formed from all its historical

parts, the population of

the country was composed of

72% Romanian și 28% other minorities.

Romanian Constitution from 1923, offered full

rights to all the inhabitants of the country regardless of

nationality, race or religion. The consequences

of this great democratic constitution were:

* In the political plan - the formation of multi-party

system and the appearance of the ethnic parties with

representation in Parliament.

* Minority language schools, including of the Armenians and Jews in

Roman.

Until, the comunist

period(1947-1989), from the

confessional point of view, all the

religions had the right of expressing openly their faith.

Another example of the Romanian tolerance was the fact that during

the 2-nd World War, although at the beginning Romania, entered the war

at the side of Germany, the Jewish population was

not deported to the extermination camps in

Germany.

Unfortunately, during the communist regime and of the soviet occupation, in

July 1948 all the missionary orders(including the Franciscans) were interdicted and also the Greek-Catholic Church and the theological seminaries.

During this period many communities had to leave the country : Armenians, Jews(to Israel) and Germans(many deported by the Russians in

Siberia and other, after 1967, asking to return to their mother

country). All the citizen rights and liberties were trespassed by the communist regime which was

controlled directly from Moscow.

After the fall of the communist regime in December 1989, the new constitution provides full equality of rights to all regardless of nationality, race, religion. Also all religious

orders were re-established, such as Franciscans, Dominicans, Capuchin and the Greek Catholic Church

and many others settled new communities here. Much of the goods seized in 1948 from the Greek-Catholic Church

were returned. At the same time,many new churches were raised including in our town Roman , where 3 new Catholic churches , one Russian Lipovan and many protestant

were built.

In 1999, took place the first visit of a Pope in an Orthodox majoritary

country, and many oecumenical actions and initiatives were taken since then: common church masses, pilgrimages,

conferences, all dedicated to the religious understanding and tolerance.

In this context, Roman has become an European model of ecumenism, of ethnic and religious diversity and tolerance. Besides the

Orthodox, here live many Roman-Catholics, neo-protestants, and a small community of Jews and

Armenians.

In 2009 in Roman there was held the first National Conference of urban anthropology, which

reflected the realities of Romania in terms of ethnic

diversity and the changes on some minorities through the

process of acculturation.According to St. Francis

ideas “Pax et Bonum!” the complex of the Minorites Franciscan Friars from

Roman(including a high school and a university) became a real European

capital of oecumenism, due to the conferences and

symposiums with an international participation.

Thank you for your attention!Presentation made by students

Gabriel Bejan and Paul Bejan under the direct guidance and help of teacher Petru Flenchea from the “St. Francis of Assisi” high school, Roman, Romania.