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On Saturday, the Romanian Orthodox Church marks its 135th anniversary of autocephaly.
After Romania gained its state
independence in 1877 and was declared a Kingdom in 1881, the prestige of
the Romanian Orthodox Church increased, making necessary the formal
recognition of its autocephaly, long denied by the Ecumenical
Patriarchate.
On November 23, 1882, the Holy
Synod of the Orthodox Church of the Kingdom of Romania assumed a
“Synodal Act”, vested with the signatures of all the hierarchs of the
country and with the Synod’s seal, which supported with historical and
theological arguments the need for the recognition of the autocephaly of
the Romanian Orthodox Church.
During a lecture delivered
at the beginning of this year at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest,
Patriarch Daniel explained that this Synodal Act reviewed the relations
between the Christian Church on the Romanian land and the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, mentioning the establishment of the metropolises in the
Romanian Principalities and underscoring how Romanians have always
defended their church autonomy against the arbitrary attempts of
Constantinople.
Only 26 years after the Union of
the Romanian Principalities took place, on April 25, 1885, Ecumenical
Patriarch Joachim IV (1884-1886), who was more open to negotiations with
the church hierarchy and the authorities of the Romanian state, sent to
Bucharest the Tomos of Autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
‘The Tomos notes that the
recognition of the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church also
means the recognition of its canonical authority, equal to the canonical
authority of the other sister Churches. Therefore, the Synod of the
Autocephalous Romanian Orthodox Church is called “Fellow Synod in
Christ”.’
‘The Holy Synod of this Church is
not subordinate to another ecclesial authority, but, the Holy Synod of
an autocephalous Church must exercise this total freedom of church
leadership, having an awareness of direct responsibility before Christ,
the Head of the Church and the Eternal High Priest, as stated in the
Tomos,’ Patriarch Daniel noted.
This year also marks 95 years since the bestowal of the rank of Patriarchate to the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1925.
Last year, on Maundy Thursday, the members of the Holy Synod officiated the sanctification of the Holy Chrism at the Patriarchal Cathedral, marking the 134th anniversary of autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
It was the 22nd time when Holy Chrism was sanctified since the bestowal of autocephaly to the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1885.
Photography courtesy of the Basilica.ro
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