Romania: The Greek Catholic Church (Uniate Church), the ethnic composition of its adherents, and whether they encounter any difficulties (January 1989 - March 1999)

For information on the Greek Catholic Church in Romania current to 9 December 1998, please consult ROM12288 of 3 December 1992, ROM15456.E of 12 October 1993, ROM24981.E of 23 September 1996, and ROM30698.E of 9 December 1998.

A 29 January 1999 AP article states:

Romania's two main religions failed to resolve a dispute over ownership of some 2,500 churches seized by the communists, jeopardizing a hoped-for spring visit by Pope John Paul II to this mainly Orthodox country, church officials said. After 12 hours of talks, the Romanian Orthodox Church said late Thursday it would not extend an invitation to the pontiff unless the Eastern Rite Catholics, Romania's second largest church, withdraws by Feb. 22 hundreds of lawsuits for the return of church property.

Pope John Paul II has said he wants to visit Romania in May, but church officials say the trip will not happen if the two churches are still at loggerheads over an estimated 2,500 Catholic churches seized by the communists in 1948 and given to the Orthodox Church. About 100 churches have been returned to the Eastern Rite Catholics, whose authority is the pope, since communism ended in 1989.

Catholics believe restitution should be decided by courts, while Orthodox say individual communities should decide each church's denomination. There have been violent protests between the two sides in recent years, with worshipers forcefully occupying churches.

Comments for representatives of the two churches showed they were still mired in disagreement. "We ask the hierarchy of the Romanian Orthodox Church to have the wisdom and kindness to find a solution so we can hold services in a decent way," said Bishop Lucian Muresan, head of Romania's 300,000 Eastern Rite Catholics. Many hold their services outdoors. Metropolitan of Moldova, Daniel Ciobotea, replied that Orthodox bishops "cannot take the decision by ourselves. We have to take into account the wishes of our believers." Some 90 percent of Romania's 23 million people are Orthodox.

However, the two sides did agree to give up violence as a means of claiming church property. The Orthodox Church also officially relinquished property demands on churches won back by Catholics in recent years.

No additional information on the Greek Catholic Church in Romania, including the ethnic composition of its adherents and whether they encounter any difficulties could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

The Associated Press (AP). 29 January 1999. "Romanian Orthodox and Catholic Churches Split Over Property." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Electronic sources: IRB databases, Internet, NEXIS/LEXIS, REFWORLD, WNC.

Keston Institute Frontier [Oxford]. Ns. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6; 1998. No. 1; 1999.

Resource Centre country file on Romania. January 1996 - November 1998.

Transitions [Prague]. January 1998 - February 1999.

Unsuccessful attempts to contact oral sources.