Romania--Christian Persecution in Romania

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Europe: Romania

Country Report Last Updated: April 2002

Code: A-3

(Click here for a code description.)

(Click here for a list of ICC articles on Romania.)
List of Articles Last Updated: October 25, 1999

COUNTRY STATISTICS

Area: 237,500 sq km
Capital: Bucharest
Main Cities: Constanta, Lasi, Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca
Population: 22,364,022
Population Growth: -0.21%
Birth Rate: 10.8 births/ 1000 people
Death Rate: 12.28 deaths/ 1000 people
Infant Mortality: 19.36 deaths/ 1000 live births
Life Expectancy: 70.13 years

Religions: Romanian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages: Romanian, Hungarian, German
Ethnic Groups: Romanian, Hungarian
Currency: leu (ROL)
Exchange Rate: 23,243.0 ROL = 1 USD
Total GDP: $132.5 billion
Per Capita PPP: $5,900
Imports: $11.9 billion
Exports: $11.2 billion

(Source: CIA World Factbook 2001)

Religious Atmosphere: Around 70% of the population is Romanian Orthodox, 6% is Protestant, 3% is Roman Catholic, and 3% is Uniate Catholic. There are also small populations of Muslims and Jews.

Extremist Groups:

ICC is not aware of any extremist groups operating in the country.

Government:

The constitution provides for religious freedom.
15 religions are recognized by the government and may receive government financial support with the Romanian Orthodox receiving the most support. No other faiths have been granted official "religion" status since 1990. These groups are considered "religious associations" and do not enjoy all of the same privileges as the recognized "religions."
To obtain legal status and exemptions from taxes, religious groups must register with the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs. 385 faiths, organizations, and foundations have been registered as religious associations though this registration process can be slow.

There are reports from Protestant denominations of harassment and interference with proselytizing and worship by low-level officials.

Recent Actions:

Baptist and Greek Catholics who proselytize in areas dominated by Orthodox claim to suffer from harassment and even violence. These incidences are not common and have not been connected in any way to the church hierarchy.
February,1999 — Friction between the Union of the Christian Baptist Churches of Romania (UBCBR) as well as other Protestant groups and the Orthodox Church seems to continue regarding upcoming legislation regarding religious liberty. The Orthodox want to be considered the national religion of Romania, gain special status with the government and to limit proselytism and other activities of non-Orthodox religious groups and churches.
December 12, 1997 - A Romanian boy testified that police coerced him and a second boy to make false accusations of sexual misconduct against Chuck Bronson, an American church supported social worker. Bronson had been arrested in March and spent two months in prison before being charged.

Prisoners: There is no evidence that prisoners are being held for their Christian beliefs at this time.

Suggested Actions You Might Take:

Pray for the Christians of Romania that they may continue to be protected from harm and that the Christian message may be heard and received by all.
Please keep us informed of any replies or results you may receive! Contact ICC by email at icc@persecution.org.

Official Contacts:

Embassy of Romania-Chancery
1607 23rd Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 332-4846
Fax: (202) 232-4748

Ion Iliescu, President
Office of the President
Bucharest, Romania
e-mail: guv@kappa.ro
WebPage: http://www.presidency.ro/

Minister of Foreign Affairs
Aleea Modrogan #14
Bucharesti 71274, Republiici Romaniei
Tel: 011 40 1 633 4060 / 4742 or 212 2060
Fax: 011 40 1 312 7589

Adrian Nastase, Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
Bucharest, Romania
WebPage: http://domino.kappa.ro/guvern/home.nsf

*We make every attempt to keep up with and reflect changes in the national government of Romania and the current human rights situation. We appreciate your feedback if you find any discrepancies in this information. You can contact us by e-mail at: icc@persecution.org. Thanks.

POSTED: April 11, 2002

ICC Articles on Romania:


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Romania--Christian Persecution in Romania

Serving the Persecuted Church: Support & Training of Underground Pastors § Humanitarian Aid § Advocacy for the Persecuted on Capitol Hill

Europe: Romania

POSTED: April 11, 2002

ICC Articles on Romania:

Serving the Persecuted Church:
Support & Training of Underground Pastors §
Humanitarian Aid § Advocacy for the Persecuted on Capitol Hill