Religious Phenomena in Romania in the 20th and early 21st Centuries

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the transformations of religious life in Romania in the 20^th century, which was marked by the two World Wars, the formation of the Romanian national unitary state, an economic crisis, political instability, the establishment of the communist regime, and, at the beginning of the 21^st century, a period characterized by the transition from communism to democracy and European integration. Firstly, although the inter-war period provided the opportunity for a religious revival, often based on visionary, eschatological, and messianic manifestations, it was also a phase in which extremist political movements emerged, embracing a religiously tinged traditionalism and a revolutionary and propagandistic spiritualist discourse (the Legionary Movement). Popular religious exhortations and practices preached by organizations active in the rural world, such as the Army of the Lord (Oastea Domnului), or supported by visionaries fueled mystical nationalism. The Romanian Orthodox Church, elevated to the rank of the patriarchate in 1925, was used by the dictatorships of King Carol II and Marshal Ion Antonescu as a legitimizing factor, with the Orthodox faith being the foundation of national identity. On the other hand, the enforced installation of communism sought to create the “new man”, who was supposed to be an atheist. Some analysts and researchers speak of a religious dimension to communism or even of communism as a messianic sect. In spite of the oppressive attitude of the communist state towards the Churches and other religious denominations, setting up purging commissions and starting the process of internment in camps of ministers who did not favor the new regime, the communist authorities sought a certain collaboration with the Orthodox Church in order to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the population. However, communist prisons became places of spiritual rebirth, of the rediscovery of hesychasm and the martyric ethos. Since the 1989 revolution, although religious freedom is guaranteed by the state, new provocations lie ahead. For example, in the first years of the 21^st century, public display of religious symbols and religious education in public schools came under scrutiny. The financial support offered by the state to the Churches and other religious denominations is still a matter of tense debate, likewise the involvement of ministers in political life or state elections. Also, Churches and some religious denominations are accused of maintaining a conservative view on gender, family, abortion, and homosexuality,

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. The canonization in 2024 of 16 martyrs and confessors from the communist prisons by the Romanian Orthodox Church, as well as the beatification of seven Greek-Catholic bishops who suffered in communist prisons by Pope Francis in Blaj in 2019.
2. The study of the religious phenomenon of eschatological-messianic visions and manifestations, as well as the mystic and Eucharistic rebirth movements.
3. The situation of the new Protestant movements during the communist regime and their revival after the 1989 Revolution.
4. The state–Church collaboration during the oppressive regimes of the 20^th
5. The religious freedom in the post-communist era and current sociological challenges.

Dr. Razvan Brudiu
Dr. Mihail K. Qaramah
Guest Editors

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• religious freedom
• state–church relationship
• communism
• mysticism
• religious nationalism
• religious renewal