157-866: Romanian Catholics, like Catholics elsewhere, are members of the Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome . The administration for the local Latin Church is centered in Bucharest , and comprises two archdioceses and four other dioceses . It is the second largest Romanian denomination after the Romanian Orthodox Church , and one of the 18 state-recognized religions. As of 2021, 5.2% of Romanians identified as Catholic. The 2012 census indicated that there were 741,276 Romanian citizens adhering to
314-459: A persona non grata , alleging that he had collaborated with Romania's wartime dictator, Ion Antonescu ; he was replaced with Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara , who continued to face accusations that he was spying in favor of the Western Allies . In secrecy, O'Hara continued to consecrate bishops and administrators. The 1927 Concordat was unilaterally denounced on July 17, 1948 In December of
471-530: A national church , and to cease their contacts with the Holy See. Many Latin Catholic clerics, alongside their approximately 600 Greek-Catholics counterparts, were held in communist prisons from as early as 1947 and throughout the 1950s. Five of the six bishops, including both bishops of the recognized dioceses, Anton Durcovici and Áron Márton , were placed in custody. Among Catholic clerics to die in confinement were
628-619: A priest , the sacrificial bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ . The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin , Mother of God , and Queen of Heaven ; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions . Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy . The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges , hospitals , and orphanages around
785-526: A " prisoner in the Vatican ". This stand-off, which was spoken of as the Roman Question , was resolved by the 1929 Lateran Treaties , whereby the Holy See acknowledged Italian sovereignty over the former Papal States in return for payment and Italy's recognition of papal sovereignty over Vatican City as a new sovereign and independent state. Catholic missionaries generally supported, and sought to facilitate,
942-472: A Catholic bishopric (1368). The following year, Wallachia resumed its anti-Catholic policies. In Moldavia, Prince Lațcu began negotiations with Pope Urban V and agreed to convert to Catholicism (1369); following a period of trouble, this political choice was to be overturned by Petru I during the 1380s. New sees were created in that country: in 1371, the one in Siret , and, under the rule of Alexandru cel Bun ,
1099-626: A Catholic cleric, took over rule of Transylvania, but again declined after Martinuzzi was assassinated in 1551. Religious disputes and battles prolonged themselves over the following centuries, as a large number of Latin Catholic communities founded specifically Protestant local churches — the Reformed Church , the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession — while others adhered to
1256-533: A gesture coinciding with the encyclical Pacem, Dei Munus Pulcherrimum (which, in turn, redefined relations between the Holy See and individual states). Negotiations were continued by the Alexandru Vaida-Voevod cabinet, who appointed the Greek-Catholic priest Vasile Lucaciu as its representative, and by that of Alexandru Averescu . Through a decision taken by Foreign Minister Duiliu Zamfirescu ,
1413-697: A less severe form than that against first the Ruthenians of Galicia and then the Romanian Greek Catholics; it was met by resolve among all groups. In 1962, the Catholic population of Romania was reckoned at around 1.5 million Romanian Greek Catholics (primarily in Transylvania), 1.5 million Latin Catholics of mostly Hungarian and German ethnicity, with the Armenian Catholic population primarily found in
1570-501: A low priority in Romania. Shortly after 1945, religious education came under the scrutiny of communist authorities and the Securitate . The Department of Religious Denominations, a governmental body dealing with religious matters since pre-communist times, continued to exist but was transformed into an agency enforcing stricter state control over religious affairs in the country. Recently it
1727-722: A measure which mostly benefited the resident Latin Catholics and Armenian Apostolic Christians. Following the Moldo-Wallachian union of 1859, and the 1881 creation of the Kingdom of Romania , the seat in Bucharest became an archdiocese (April 7, 1883) and the one in Iași a diocese, replacing the Franciscan-led diocese of Bacău (June 27, 1884). This came as a consequence of repeated protests from locals, who called for Romanian clerics not to be under
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#17330852409501884-564: A month after communist leader Ceauşescu was killed by a firing squad and well before post-communist authorities had time to revamp the education system, the new Secretary of State for Religious Denominations, Nicolae Stoicescu , together with the Romanian Orthodox Church ’s collective leadership structure, the Holy Synod , pledged their support for the introduction of religious education in public schools at all pre-university levels. An optional religion class, for which students were not to be graded,
2041-573: A movement calling for a union between the Latin Catholic and Romanian Orthodox Churches , which caused further suspicions from the new authorities. The Romanian Catholic hierarchies also explicitly refused to let their clergy join the Romanian Communist Party , which singled it out among religious organizations in the country. In 1946, the Groza cabinet declared Apostolic Nuncio Andrea Cassulo
2198-460: A party closely associated with the Communists, became prime minister. From that time, the Romanian Communist Party started a campaign of secularization, seeking to transform the country into an atheist state along Marxist-Leninist lines. Beginning with the 1989 revolution, the legally recognized churches, especially the Romanian Orthodox Church , the country’s largest religious group, pressured
2355-705: A period of persecution and regression after 1948, when the Communist regime , which subscribed to the doctrine of Marxist–Leninist atheism , was established. Early signs of this were present after Soviet authorities, when the Concordat came to be regularly disregarded by the Petru Groza government, partly based on suspicions that the Holy See was attempting to convert the Orthodox population ( see Soviet occupation of Romania ). In parallel, after 1945, Vladimir Ghika and others led
2512-679: A result of stately emancipation and lingering conflicts with the Hungarian Kingdom, the relatively strong Catholic presence receded with the establishment of more powerful Eastern Orthodox institutions (the Hungro-Wallachian diocese and the Moldavian diocese ). Nevertheless, Catholics remained an important presence in both areas. As a result of fighting between Wallachia's Prince Vladislav I Vlaicu and Hungarian King Louis I , concessions were made by both sides, and Wallachia agreed to tolerate
2669-552: A shortage of qualified teachers in religion, many priests and students in theology accomplished in a successful way. The Romanian Orthodox Church has 37 high schools (seminaries) and, in higher education, 12 faculties of theology with over 9,400 undergraduate students specialized in Priesthood, School, Social Services and Sacred Arts. Under the 1995 and 2011 education laws, students were to attend religious classes by default, and those who wished to opt out of them could only do so through
2826-519: A while, as locals took over its property, but was revived in 1332–1334, when Pope John XXII appointed the Franciscan Vitus de Monteferro, the chaplain of King Charles Robert , as the new bishop. Direct control over the congregation was made difficult by the intrusion of the Golden Horde , who had set up its base in the region later known as Budjak (present-day southern Ukraine ). Around 1318,
2983-479: A written request to the school director. The National Council for Combating Discrimination criticized this as an infringement on children's freedom of conscience . On 12 November 2014, the relevant articles of law were ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Romania , effectively abolishing the de facto compulsory religious education in Romania. The Romanian Orthodox Church protested against
3140-512: Is also optional, depending on the religion and denomination of each student." One change has been the reorganization of religious education, mainly in primary schools. Romania officially has more than 86% Christian Orthodox believers. Another 6% percent belong to the Catholic Church and 3% are Protestant churches. Muslims and Jews constitute less than 1% and have also started to implement their religious education in schools. In Romanian society,
3297-469: Is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization . The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches , including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches , which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies around the world . The pope , who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of
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#17330852409503454-523: Is generally regarded as an institution that has its origin in the Medieval Christian setting. The massive Islamic invasions of the mid-7th century began a long struggle between Christianity and Islam throughout the Mediterranean Basin. The Byzantine Empire soon lost the lands of the eastern patriarchates of Jerusalem , Alexandria and Antioch and was reduced to that of Constantinople,
3611-676: Is the bishop of Rome , known as the pope ( Latin : papa , lit. 'father'), whose jurisdiction is called the Holy See ( Sancta Sedes in Latin). In parallel to the diocesan structure are a variety of religious institutes that function autonomously, often subject only to the authority of the pope, though sometimes subject to the local bishop. Most religious institutes only have male or female members but some have both. Additionally, lay members aid many liturgical functions during worship services. The Catholic Church has been described as
3768-474: Is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission , that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles , and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter , upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through
3925-482: Is the universal [katholike] Church." In the Catechetical Lectures ( c. 350 ) of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem , the name "Catholic Church" was used to distinguish it from other groups that also called themselves "the church". The "Catholic" notion was further stressed in the edict De fide Catolica issued 380 by Theodosius I , the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of
4082-639: The Pax Romana made travelling safe. The empire encouraged the spread of a common culture with Greek roots, which allowed ideas to be more easily expressed and understood. Unlike most religions in the Roman Empire, however, Christianity required its adherents to renounce all other gods, a practice adopted from Judaism (see Idolatry ). The Christians' refusal to join pagan celebrations meant they were unable to participate in much of public life, which caused non-Christians—including government authorities—to fear that
4239-692: The Archbishop of Kalocsa , part of the Catholic Church in Hungary . The northern area comprised in the comitatus of Máramaros was originally part of the Alba Iulia Diocese, while the southern one, Szeben , was a provostship not comprised in any bishopric (and thus exempt ). During the rule of Béla IV , the Catholic hierarchy was disestablished by the Mongol incursion ( see Battle of Mohi ), and only recovered after 1300. In 1304, Pope Boniface VIII sent
4396-597: The Armenian community who belong to the Armenian Catholic Church are organized in the Latin Church-led Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Romania . The Armenian Rite as used by its largely Transylvanian membership was significantly hybridized into the 20th century. The Archdiocese of Bucharest is the metropolitan see for the entire country's Latin jurisdiction, directly overseeing
4553-618: The Banat ), Oradea (the Diocese of Oradea , for Crișana), Satu Mare (the Diocese of Satu Mare , for Maramureș), and Iași (the Diocese of Iași , for Moldavia). The church presently runs a faculty of theology (as part of the Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca ), four theological institutes, six medical schools and sixteen seminaries ( see Religious education in Romania ). Among
4710-783: The Byzantine–Seljuk Wars , which caused Urban to launch the First Crusade aimed at aiding the Byzantine Empire and returning the Holy Land to Christian control. In the 11th century , strained relations between the primarily Greek church and the Latin Church separated them in the East–West Schism, partially due to conflicts over papal authority. The Fourth Crusade and the sacking of Constantinople by renegade crusaders proved
4867-735: The Code of Canon Law (1983). "Catholic Church" is also used in the documents of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the First Vatican Council (1869–1870), the Council of Trent (1545–1563), and numerous other official documents. The New Testament , in particular the Gospels , records Jesus' activities and teaching, his appointment of the Twelve Apostles and his Great Commission of
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5024-648: The Council of Nicaea declared heretical . The resulting religious discord between Germanic rulers and Catholic subjects was avoided when, in 497, Clovis I , the Frankish ruler, converted to orthodox Catholicism, allying himself with the papacy and the monasteries. The Visigoths in Spain followed his lead in 589, and the Lombards in Italy in the course of the 7th century. Western Christianity , particularly through its monasteries ,
5181-568: The Dobrujan town of Vicina was part of the Catholic vicariate of "Northern Tartary ". During the 14th century, in the years following the establishment of Moldavia and Wallachia as separate states (the Danubian Principalities ), Catholic clerics arriving mainly from Jagiellon Poland and Transylvania set up the first Catholic congregations over the Carpathians. In both countries, as
5338-710: The Edict of Thessalonica made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire , a position that within the diminishing territory of the Byzantine Empire would persist until the empire itself ended in the fall of Constantinople in 1453, while elsewhere the church was independent of the empire, as became particularly clear with the East–West Schism . During the period of the Seven Ecumenical Councils , five primary sees emerged, an arrangement formalized in
5495-725: The English Reformation and the eventual development of Anglicanism . The Reformation contributed to clashes between the Protestant Schmalkaldic League and the Catholic Emperor Charles V and his allies. The first nine-year war ended in 1555 with the Peace of Augsburg but continued tensions produced a far graver conflict—the Thirty Years' War —which broke out in 1618. In France, a series of conflicts termed
5652-586: The French Wars of Religion was fought from 1562 to 1598 between the Huguenots (French Calvinists ) and the forces of the French Catholic League , which were backed and funded by a series of popes. This ended under Pope Clement VIII , who hesitantly accepted King Henry IV's 1598 Edict of Nantes granting civil and religious toleration to French Protestants. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) became
5809-525: The Immaculate Conception as a dogma in the Catholic Church . In 1870, the First Vatican Council affirmed the doctrine of papal infallibility when exercised in specifically defined pronouncements, striking a blow to the rival position of conciliarism . Controversy over this and other issues resulted in a breakaway movement called the Old Catholic Church , The Italian unification of
5966-412: The Italian Peninsula , imprisoning Pope Pius VI , who died in captivity. Napoleon later re-established the Catholic Church in France through the Concordat of 1801 . The end of the Napoleonic Wars brought Catholic revival and the return of the Papal States . In 1854, Pope Pius IX , with the support of the overwhelming majority of Catholic bishops, whom he had consulted from 1851 to 1853, proclaimed
6123-404: The Jesuit order , the first member of his community to study in the Roman College of Rome , while the Transylvanian-born Stephen Pongracz was one of the Jesuits executed by Calvinists in Royal Hungary (1619). The order was expelled a third time from Transylvania (1652), on orders from George II Rákóczi , and was twice driven out of Moldavia by the Great Turkish War (1672, 1683). During
6280-506: The Latin Church (3.89% of the population). Of these, the largest groups were Hungarians (54.7% or 405,212, including Székely and Csángó ), Romanians (38.2% or 283,092), Germans (1.7% or 12,495) and Slovaks (0.9% or 6,853). Most Romanian Latin Catholics inhabit the region of Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia . Smaller Latin Catholic communities exist among Banat Bulgarians , Italian-Romanians , Polish-Romanians , Croat-Romanians and Krashovani , Czech-Romanians and
6437-404: The Oriental Orthodox Churches before the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451; all separated primarily over differences in Christology . The Eastern Catholic Churches, who have a combined membership of approximately 18 million, represent a body of Eastern Christians who returned or remained in communion with the pope during or following these schisms for a variety of historical circumstances. In
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6594-465: The Ottoman Empire , but was ultimately disestablished during the early 15th century, when it moved to Bacău . In 1497, that location was abandoned by the hierarchy, and was no longer active during the following century. Until the mid-19th century, like all other religious minorities, Catholics did not enjoy full political and civil rights. Following the 1526 Battle of Mohács , during which the Ottomans conquered much of Hungary, leaving Transylvania under
6751-402: The Passionists , and the Congregation of Notre-Dame de Sion . Despite this increase in importance, Romania and the Holy See did not formally establish diplomatic relations for several decades. The authorities also refused to allow the Church to create its own college. In parallel, autonomy for Latin Catholic school administration in Austro-Hungarian Transylvania was recovered in 1873, through
6908-437: The Polish People's Republic , became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. His 26 1/2-year pontificate was one of the longest in history, and was credited with hastening the fall of communism in Europe. John Paul II sought to evangelize an increasingly secular world . He travelled more than any other pope, visiting 129 countries, and used television and radio as means of spreading the church's teachings. He also emphasized
7065-422: The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, when those who ceased to be in communion became known as Protestants. While the Roman Church has been used to describe the pope's Diocese of Rome since the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and into the Early Middle Ages (6th–10th century), Roman Catholic Church has been applied to the whole church in the English language since the Protestant Reformation in
7222-409: The Roman Empire , when establishing the state church of the Roman Empire . Since the East–West Schism of 1054, the Eastern Orthodox Church has taken the adjective Orthodox as its distinctive epithet; its official name continues to be the Orthodox Catholic Church. The Latin Church was described as Catholic , with that description also denominating those in communion with the Holy See after
7379-449: The Romanian Greek Catholic Church was established for formerly Eastern Orthodox Romanians within the Catholic Church. Its leadership was supervised by Jesuit theologians, whose office ensured doctrinal conformity. The Jesuits were also allowed back into Moldavia by 1699, under the rule of Prince Antioh Cantemir . In 1773, the order was suppressed throughout Europe, before being again created by Pope Pius VII in 1814 ( see Suppression of
7536-498: The Romanian Revolution of 1989 . Links with the Holy See were resumed in May 1990 (Romania was the fourth formerly Eastern Bloc country and first minority Catholic country to allow this, after the majority-Catholic Poland , Hungary and Czechoslovakia ). All six dioceses were recognized by the Romanian state during 1990, and the one in Alba Iulia became an archdiocese in 1991. Religious institutes were once again permitted to function, and Jesuit activities were freely resumed following
7693-419: The Tridentine Mass as found in the Roman Missal of 1962, which he titled the "Extraordinary Form". Citing the frailties of advanced age, Benedict resigned in 2013, becoming the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years. Pope Francis, the current pope of the Catholic Church, became in 2013 the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere , and the first Pope from outside Europe since
7850-408: The Unitarian Church of Transylvania . The Diocese of Alba Iulia was disestablished in 1556. An unprecedented stalemate was reached in 1568, under John II Sigismund Zápolya , when the Edict of Torda sanctioned freedom of religion and awarded legal status to the Latin Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran and Unitarian churches alike (while viewing the majority Orthodox as "tolerated"). The Alba Iulia see
8007-418: The University of Oxford , University of Paris , and University of Bologna . Higher education before then had been the domain of Christian cathedral schools or monastic schools, led by monks and nuns . Evidence of such schools dates back to the 6th century CE. These new universities expanded the curriculum to include academic programs for clerics, lawyers, civil servants, and physicians. The university
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#17330852409508164-444: The dignity of work and natural rights of labourers to have fair wages and safe conditions in Laborem exercens . He emphasized several church teachings, including moral exhortations against abortion, euthanasia , and against widespread use of the death penalty, in Evangelium Vitae . Pope Benedict XVI , elected in 2005, was known for upholding traditional Christian values against secularization , and for increasing use of
8321-445: The magisterium of the church. The Roman Rite and others of the Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic liturgies , and institutes such as mendicant orders , enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church. Of its seven sacraments , the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass . The church teaches that through consecration by
8478-422: The 14th century. To escape instability in Rome, Clement V in 1309 became the first of seven popes to reside in the fortified city of Avignon in southern France during a period known as the Avignon Papacy . The Avignon Papacy ended in 1376 when the pope returned to Rome, but was followed in 1378 by the 38-year-long Western schism , with claimants to the papacy in Rome, Avignon and (after 1409) Pisa. The matter
8635-428: The 16th century, followed, around 1630, by Italian stonemasons ; later, the Wallachian capital was settled by groups of Hungarians, Poles (a presence notable after the 1863 January Uprising forced many to take refuge in Romania), and French people ( see History of Bucharest ). In 1812, the Franciscan Bulgarian Catholic Bishop of Chiprovtsi decided, as a result of an epidemic in the city, to move his seat to
8792-412: The 16th century, the Reformation led to the formation of separate, Protestant groups. From the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its teachings on sexuality , its doctrine against ordaining women , and its handling of sexual abuse cases involving clergy. Catholic (from Greek : καθολικός , romanized : katholikos , lit. 'universal')
8949-414: The 1860s incorporated the Papal States, including Rome itself from 1870, into the Kingdom of Italy , thus ending the papacy's temporal power . In response, Pope Pius IX excommunicated King Victor Emmanuel II , refused payment for the land, and rejected the Italian Law of Guarantees , which granted him special privileges. To avoid placing himself in visible subjection to the Italian authorities, he remained
9106-522: The 1960s, Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council , which ushered in radical change to church ritual and practice, and in the later 20th century, the long reign of Pope John Paul II contributed to the fall of communism in Europe, and a new public and international role for the papacy. From the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its doctrines on sexuality , its inability to ordain women , and its handling of sexual abuse cases . Pope Pius X (1903–1914) renewed
9263-466: The 1990 visit of Provincial superior Peter Hans Kolvenbach . Beginning in the 1980s, the Romanian Roman Catholic Church has taken part in several international gatherings to promote ecumenism . These include the meetings in Patmos (1980), Munich (1982), Crete and Bari (1984), Vienna and Freising (1990), and at the Balamand Monastery (1993). In May 1999, Romania was the first majority-Orthodox country to be visited by Pope John Paul II , who
9420-399: The 20th century, the majority have resided in the Global South , partially due to secularization in Europe and North America. The Catholic Church shared communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East–West Schism in 1054, disputing particularly the authority of the pope . Before the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, the Church of the East also shared in this communion, as did
9577-408: The 21st century. Pope Gregory VII further initiated the Gregorian Reforms regarding the independence of the clergy from secular authority. This led to the Investiture Controversy between the church and the Holy Roman Emperors , over which had the authority to appoint bishops and popes. In 1095, Byzantine emperor Alexius I appealed to Pope Urban II for help against renewed Muslim invasions in
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#17330852409509734-416: The Americas, Asia and Oceania by explorers, conquistadors, and missionaries, as well as by the transformation of societies through the socio-political mechanisms of colonial rule. Pope Alexander VI had awarded colonial rights over most of the newly discovered lands to Spain and Portugal and the ensuing patronato system allowed state authorities, not the Vatican, to control all clerical appointments in
9891-402: The Byzantine Empire lost to the Lombards the city of Ravenna from which it governed the small fragments of Italy, including Rome, that acknowledged its sovereignty. The fall of Ravenna meant that confirmation by a no longer existent exarch was not asked for during the election in 752 of Pope Stephen II and that the papacy was forced to look elsewhere for a civil power to protect it. In 754, at
10048-405: The Catholic and Orthodox churches. Several eastern churches reunited, forming the majority of the Eastern Catholic Churches . The Age of Discovery beginning in the 15th century saw the expansion of Western Europe's political and cultural influence worldwide. Because of the prominent role the strongly Catholic nations of Spain and Portugal played in Western colonialism, Catholicism was spread to
10205-422: The Christians were angering the gods and thereby threatening the peace and prosperity of the Empire. The resulting persecutions were a defining feature of Christian self-understanding until Christianity was legalized in the 4th century. In 313, Emperor Constantine I 's Edict of Milan legalized Christianity, and in 330 Constantine moved the imperial capital to Constantinople , modern Istanbul, Turkey . In 380
10362-457: The Edict of Nantes by King Louis XIV of France , which ended a century-long policy of religious toleration of Protestant Huguenots. As the papacy resisted pushes for Gallicanism , the French Revolution of 1789 shifted power to the state, caused the destruction of churches, the establishment of a Cult of Reason , and the martyrdom of nuns during the Reign of Terror . In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte 's General Louis-Alexandre Berthier invaded
10519-401: The European imperial powers' conquest of Africa during the late nineteenth century. According to the historian of religion Adrian Hastings , Catholic missionaries were generally unwilling to defend African rights or encourage Africans to see themselves as equals to Europeans, in contrast to Protestant missionaries, who were more willing to oppose colonial injustices. During the 20th century,
10676-505: The Habsburg uniatism conversion efforts in 18th-century Transylvania. Memories of the Austro-Hungarian Catholic monarchy and its limitations on Romanian Orthodoxy further fomented anti-Catholic sentiment in this period. When the Paris Peace Conference confirmed the creation of Greater Romania , Catholics of both churches represented 13 to 14% of its population. During the Conference, the Ion I. C. Brătianu cabinet and representatives of Pope Benedict XV established preliminary contacts,
10833-447: The Holy See, or the Apostolic See (meaning the see of the apostle Peter). Directly serving the pope is the Roman Curia, the central governing body that administers the day-to-day business of the Catholic Church. The pope is also sovereign of Vatican City, a small city-state entirely enclaved within the city of Rome, which is an entity distinct from the Holy See. It is as head of the Holy See, not as head of Vatican City State, that
10990-427: The Latin Church, although it was one of the sixteen recognized religions, lacked legal standing, as its organizational charter was never approved by the Department of Cults. Until 1978, the celebration of Catholic Mass in Romanian language outside Bucharest and Moldavia was forbidden by the government. Many foreign clerics, including the Jesuit superiors, were intimidated and ultimately expelled. The Apostolic Nunciature
11147-421: The Polish priest Feliks Wierciński ). The Jesuit Mission in Romania was created in 1918, being subordinated to the Order's Province of Belgium , and then to the Southern Province of Poland ; it became a Vice-Province in 1927. Romania accommodated various Catholic organizations, including the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (who operated three Bucharest schools by 1913), the Sisters of Mercy ,
11304-449: The Pope's insistence on public neutrality and diplomatic language has become a source of much criticism and debate. Nevertheless, in every country under German occupation, priests played a major part in rescuing Jews. Israeli historian Pinchas Lapide estimated that Catholic rescue of Jews amounted to somewhere between 700,000 and 860,000 people. The Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church
11461-510: The Reformation, which gave birth to the great majority of Protestant denominations and also crypto-Protestantism within the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, Henry VIII petitioned Pope Clement VII for a declaration of nullity concerning his marriage to Catherine of Aragon . When this was denied, he had the Acts of Supremacy passed to make himself Supreme Head of the Church of England , spurring
11618-719: The Romanian Greek Catholic clergy were subordinate to him. The Latin bishop also claimed that Romanian Greek Catholic bishop Ioan Giurgiu Patachi was in fact his "ritual vicar" for the Byzantine Rite community. Pope Innocent XIII intervened, asserting Patachi's ordinary authority over Romanian Greek Catholics but moving Patachi's see to Făgăraș . In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Moldavia and Wallachia were awarded their own apostolic vicariates , based respectively in Iași and Bucharest . The old Moldavian see of Bacău
11775-709: The Romanian Orthodox Church's cooperation with communist authorities elevated its societal standing. Those Romanian Greek Catholics who left their church generally joined the Romanian Orthodox Church for its inherent Romanian identity. Others joined the Hungarian-majority Latin Church, leaving the Romanian Greek Catholic Church isolated and with only 10 percent of its pre-communist membership. New state regulations were designed to abolish papal authority over Catholics in Romania, and
11932-608: The Second World War, also because they had powerful supporters from the Vatican. The judgment of Pius XII is made more difficult by the sources, because the church archives for his tenure as nuncio, cardinal secretary of state and pope are in part closed or not yet processed. The Second Vatican Council (1962–65) introduced the most significant changes to Catholic practices since the Council of Trent, four centuries before. Initiated by Pope John XXIII, this ecumenical council modernized
12089-590: The Society of Jesus ). Pope Pius IX reorganized the local Greek-Catholic Church in 1853, and placed it under Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide jurisdiction (between 1912 and 1919, the Greek-Catholic parishes were administered from Hajdúdorog ). Romanian Greek Catholic autonomy was challenged by the Diocese of Ardeal's Latin bishop in 1721. The Latin bishop, invoking the Fourth Lateran Council , asserted that
12246-579: The War, and established aid networks to help victims, but he secretly assisted the anti-Hitler resistance and shared intelligence with the Allies. His first encyclical Summi Pontificatus (1939) expressed dismay at the 1939 Invasion of Poland and reiterated Catholic teaching against racism. He expressed concern against race killings on Vatican Radio , and intervened diplomatically to attempt to block Nazi deportations of Jews in various countries from 1942 to 1944. But
12403-589: The activities of certain Latin Catholic prelates in Transylvania and Hungary, whom they suspected of actively supporting Hungarian irredentism (in one of his notes to the Vatican, Pennescu condemned the politically motivated letters addressed by Gyula Glattfelder , the Bishop of Timișoara , to his Hungarian-majority congregation). A Concordat was negotiated in 1927, being ratified by the Romanian side in 1929 and through
12560-564: The apostles, instructing them to continue his work. The book Acts of Apostles , tells of the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. The Catholic Church teaches that its public ministry began on Pentecost , occurring fifty days following the date Christ is believed to have resurrected . At Pentecost, the apostles are believed to have received the Holy Spirit, preparing them for their mission in leading
12717-515: The areas under his control definitively established a form of caesaropapism , in which "he had the right and duty of regulating by his laws the minutest details of worship and discipline, and also of dictating the theological opinions to be held in the Church", re-established imperial power over Rome and other parts of the West, initiating the period termed the Byzantine Papacy (537–752), during which
12874-655: The bishops Szilárd Bogdánffy and Durcovici, Monsignor Ghika, and the Jesuit priest Cornel Chira. In 1949, 15 religious institutes were banned in Romania, and the rest (including the Franciscans ) significantly reduced their activities. A number of local Jesuits were kept in imprisonment or under house arrest at the Franciscan friary in Gherla (a situation which lasted for seven years). The communist repression of against Latin clergy took
13031-609: The bishops of Rome, or popes, required approval from the emperor in Constantinople or from his representative in Ravenna for consecration, and most were selected by the emperor from his Greek-speaking subjects, resulting in a "melting pot" of Western and Eastern Christian traditions in art as well as liturgy. Most of the Germanic tribes who in the following centuries invaded the Roman Empire had adopted Christianity in its Arian form, which
13188-496: The church's approach to ecumenism , and a call to improved relations with non-Christian religions, especially Judaism, in its document Nostra aetate . The council, however, generated significant controversy in implementing its reforms: proponents of the " Spirit of Vatican II " such as Swiss theologian Hans Küng said that Vatican II had "not gone far enough" to change church policies. Traditionalist Catholics , such as Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre , however, strongly criticized
13345-460: The church's global reach continued to grow, despite the rise of anti-Catholic authoritarian regimes and the collapse of European Empires, accompanied by a general decline in religious observance in the West. Under Popes Benedict XV , and Pius XII , the Holy See sought to maintain public neutrality through the World Wars, acting as peace broker and delivering aid to the victims of the conflicts. In
13502-577: The church. The Catholic Church teaches that the college of bishops , led by the bishop of Rome are the successors to the Apostles. In the account of the Confession of Peter found in the Gospel of Matthew , Christ designates Peter as the "rock" upon which Christ's church will be built. The Catholic Church considers the bishop of Rome, the pope, to be the successor to Saint Peter . Some scholars state Peter
13659-422: The church. There are three levels of clergy: the episcopate, composed of bishops who hold jurisdiction over a geographic area called a diocese or eparchy ; the presbyterate, composed of priests ordained by bishops and who work in local dioceses or religious orders; and the diaconate, composed of deacons who assist bishops and priests in a variety of ministerial roles. Ultimately leading the entire Catholic Church
13816-603: The church. The Diocese of Rome , known as the Holy See , is the central governing authority of the church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia , has its principal offices in Vatican City , which is a small, independent city-state and enclave within the city of Rome , of which the pope is head of state . The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed . The Catholic Church teaches that it
13973-647: The city of Rome, though enjoying extraterritorial privileges accredited to the Holy See. Religious education in Romania The Romanian Revolution in 1989, which ended the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu in December 1989, offered the 15 religious denominations then recognized in Romania the chance to regain the terrain lost after 1945, the year when Dr. Petru Groza of the Ploughmen's Front ,
14130-842: The conflict. Catholic clergy played a leading role in the government of the fascist Slovak State , which collaborated with the Nazis, copied their anti-Semitic policies, and helped them carry out the Holocaust in Slovakia. Jozef Tiso , the President of the Slovak State and a Catholic priest, supported his government's deportation of Slovakian Jews to extermination camps. The Vatican protested against these Jewish deportations in Slovakia and in other Nazi puppet regimes including Vichy France , Croatia, Bulgaria , Italy and Hungary. Around 1943, Adolf Hitler planned
14287-511: The council, arguing that its liturgical reforms led "to the destruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the sacraments", among other issues. The teaching on the morality of contraception also came under scrutiny; after a series of disagreements, Humanae vitae upheld the church's prohibition of all forms of contraception. In 1978, Pope John Paul II , formerly Archbishop of Kraków in
14444-474: The country in 203 monasteries, maintaining 421 religious schools and coordinating various charity ventures. Over the early 1920s, the Holy See and Romania engaged in several diplomatic disputes: in one case, the Catholic Church declared itself dissatisfied by the effects of a land reform carried out in 1920–1921 (as a result of talks, it was occasionally allowed to keep larger estates than the law permitted); in parallel, Romanian authorities were dissatisfied with
14601-533: The creation of a "Roman-Catholic Status". Among the Romanian Greek Catholics, the blanket policy of granting annulments for marriages involving adultery was suppressed during the 19th century. This practice, typical to the Romanian Orthodox, was considered an "abuse" by the Catholic Church. During the final years of World War I and the stages leading up to Transylvania's union with Romania , Catholicism in Romania met with several diplomatic problems. Romania
14758-489: The development of the role of the papacy in the subsequent church". These roles, Brown says, "contributed enormously to seeing the bishop of Rome, the bishop of the city where Peter died and where Paul witnessed the truth of Christ, as the successor of Peter in care for the church universal". Conditions in the Roman Empire facilitated the spread of new ideas. The empire's network of roads and waterways facilitated travel, and
14915-408: The discussion centering on Article 9, which recognized religion as a school subject. First, Gheorghe Dumitrescu , who sat on the parliamentary commission on education proposed that Article 9 read: "Mandatory school curricula include religion as a school subject. The study of religion is mandatory in primary school and optional in secondary school, the optional subject being ethics. The study of religion
15072-585: The dominant Romanian Orthodox Christians. Subsequently, the Latin Catholic presence registered significant successes: new religious institutes, such as the Assumptionists and the Sisters of St. Mary , began their activities on Romanian soil, and the lay Acțiunea Catolică , a Romanian version of the Catholic Action , was set up in 1927. By the end of World War II , there were 25 religious institutes present in
15229-539: The driving force behind the Counter-Reformation in response to the Protestant movement. Doctrinally, it reaffirmed central Catholic teachings such as transubstantiation and the requirement for love and hope as well as faith to attain salvation. In subsequent centuries, Catholicism spread widely across the world, in part through missionaries and imperialism , although its hold on European populations declined due to
15386-699: The eighth-century Gregory III . Francis has made efforts to further close Catholicism's estrangement with the Eastern churches. His installation was attended by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the first time since the Great Schism of 1054 that the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has attended a papal installation, while he also met Patriarch Kirill of Moscow , head of
15543-715: The empire's capital. As a result of Islamic domination of the Mediterranean , the Frankish state, centred away from that sea, was able to evolve as the dominant power that shaped the Western Europe of the Middle Ages. The battles of Toulouse and Poitiers halted the Islamic advance in the West and the failed siege of Constantinople halted it in the East. Two or three decades later, in 751,
15700-402: The extension of Magyar rule and the region's integration into the Kingdom of Hungary ( see History of Transylvania ). Inaugurated by the early presence of Benedictines , these were strengthened by the colonization of Transylvanian Saxons , as well as by missionary activities among the local Vlach (Romanian) population and forceful conversions. The Diocese of Alba Iulia ( Gyulafehérvár )
15857-461: The families to nobility. The Armenians–which included a Catholic contingent–created trading towns, with Gherla ( Armenopolis or Szamosújvár ) the most prominent. Some Transylvania Romanian Orthodox would join with Rome in 1698. Under the rule of Emperor Charles VI , the Bishops of Alba Iulia were able to return to their restored domains, as the see was removed from Protestant rule (1713). The diocese
16014-504: The final breach. In this age great gothic cathedrals in France were an expression of popular pride in the Christian faith. In the early 13th century mendicant orders were founded by Francis of Assisi and Dominic de Guzmán . The studia conventualia and studia generalia of the mendicant orders played a large role in the transformation of church-sponsored cathedral schools and palace schools, such as that of Charlemagne at Aachen , into
16171-632: The first Catholic missionaries from Transylvania into the lands over the Carpathian Mountains (the area known as " Cumania "), where Eastern Orthodox bishops were already present. A Diocese of Cumania was created on the Milcov , in areas later ruled by Moldavia and Wallachia . Its assets were granted by the Hungarian rulers, whose claimed suzerainty over the region, and it extended over parts of Székely Land . The Diocese of Cumania disappeared for
16328-515: The growth of religious scepticism during and after the Enlightenment. From the 17th century onward, the Enlightenment questioned the power and influence of the Catholic Church over Western society. In the 18th century, writers such as Voltaire and the Encyclopédistes wrote biting critiques of both religion and the Catholic Church. One target of their criticism was the 1685 revocation of
16485-517: The independence of papal office by abolishing the veto of Catholic powers in papal elections, and his successors Benedict XV (1914–1922) and Pius XI (1922–1939) concluded the modern independence of the Vatican State within Italy. Benedict XV was elected at the outbreak of the First World War . He attempted to mediate between the powers and established a Vatican relief office, to assist victims of
16642-850: The journals issued by Catholic institutions are the Romanian-language Actualitatea Creștină (Bucharest) and Lumina Creștinului (Iași), as well as the Hungarian-language Keresztény Szó and Vasárnap (both in Cluj-Napoca). It leads a network of charitable organizations and other social ventures, administrated by its Caritas foundation or the religious institutes ; it includes kindergartens , orphanages , social canteens, medical facilities. The oldest traces of Catholic activities on present-day Romanian territory were recorded in Transylvania , in connection to
16799-541: The kidnapping of the Pope and his internment in Germany. He gave SS General Wolff a corresponding order to prepare for the action. While Pope Pius XII has been credited with helping to save hundreds of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust , the church has also been accused of having encouraged centuries of antisemitism by its teachings and not doing enough to stop Nazi atrocities. Many Nazi criminals escaped overseas after
16956-577: The largest Eastern Orthodox church, in 2016; this was reported as the first such high-level meeting between the two churches since the Great Schism of 1054. In 2017 during a visit in Egypt , Pope Francis reestablished mutual recognition of baptism with the Coptic Orthodox Church . The Catholic Church follows an episcopal polity , led by bishops who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders who are given formal jurisdictions of governance within
17113-537: The late 16th century. Further, some will refer to the Latin Church as Roman Catholic in distinction from the Eastern Catholic churches. "Roman Catholic" has occasionally appeared also in documents produced both by the Holy See, and notably used by certain national episcopal conferences and local dioceses. The name Catholic Church for the whole church is used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1990) and
17270-531: The late 17th and early 18th centuries, the Catholic Church sought to obtain the adherence of non-Catholic Christians to the Eastern Catholic Churches . They were assisted in this effort by the Habsburg offensive into Eastern Europe , which brought about Emperor Leopold I 's conquest of Transylvania in 1699. An additional factor for the new Catholic successes was, arguably, the continuous fighting between
17427-513: The local Romani people . The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris church which uses the Byzantine Rite . It has separate jurisdictions, five eparchies , and one archeparchy headed by a major archbishop (thus the church has its own synod ), and has historically been strongest in Transylvania . The majority of its members are Romanians, with groups of Ukrainians from northern Romania. Members of
17584-400: The longstanding Transylvanian community. During the relative liberalization of the 1960s, sporadic talks between the Holy See and the Romanian state were carried out over the status of Romanian Greek Catholic possessions, but without any significant result. Romania became a Jesuit Province by 1974 (numbering, at that time, eight priests and five brothers). The situation normalized soon after
17741-577: The mid-6th century by Emperor Justinian I as the pentarchy of Rome, Constantinople , Antioch , Jerusalem and Alexandria . In 451 the Council of Chalcedon , in a canon of disputed validity, elevated the see of Constantinople to a position "second in eminence and power to the bishop of Rome". From c. 350 – c. 500 , the bishops, or popes, of Rome, steadily increased in authority through their consistent intervening in support of orthodox leaders in theological disputes, which encouraged appeals to them. Emperor Justinian , who in
17898-693: The new borders of Greater Romania: Latin Catholics in Bukovina became part of the Iași Diocese , and those of Oradea were joined with the Satu Mare Diocese . The Armenians maintained their autonomous structure, with the Latin Church hierarchy overseeing the Ordinariate for Catholics of Armenian Rite in Romania . Both the Latin Church and the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic entered
18055-760: The new colonies. In 1521 the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan made the first Catholic converts in the Philippines . Elsewhere, Portuguese missionaries under the Spanish Jesuit Francis Xavier evangelized in India, China, and Japan. The French colonization of the Americas beginning in the 16th century established a Catholic francophone population and forbade non-Catholics to settle in Quebec . In 1415, Jan Hus
18212-467: The number of people without any belief (unbaptized and not having been married in a religious setting) is very low, under 0.1%. Nowadays, national polls show Romanian Orthodox Church to be one of the most trusted institutions in Romania. At this moment there are over 10,000 qualified teachers in public schools and the number is not enough. Their enthusiasm had provided a good assistance to people who were deprived by religious education for decades. Despite
18369-507: The numerous visual artists sponsored by the church. Historian Paul Legutko of Stanford University said the Catholic Church is "at the center of the development of the values, ideas, science, laws, and institutions which constitute what we call Western civilization ". In Western Christendom , the first universities in Europe were established by monks. Beginning in the 11th century, several older cathedral schools became universities, such as
18526-406: The oldest multinational organization in the world. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is headed by the pope, currently Pope Francis , who was elected on 13 March 2013 by a papal conclave . The office of the pope is known as the papacy . The Catholic Church holds that Christ instituted the papacy upon giving the keys of Heaven to Saint Peter . His ecclesiastical jurisdiction is called
18683-531: The outgoing Ghika was replaced with Dimitrie Pennescu , who was Romania's first ambassador to the Vatican . The Apostolic Nunciature in Romania was set up as a result of this. The first person to hold this office was Archbishop Francesco Marmaggi , who took charge in October 1920. The mix of new Latin Catholic Hungarian and Swabians along with the Romanian Greek Catholic population created ethnic tension with
18840-430: The papal bull Solemni conventione on June 5, 1930. On the basis of it, a 1932 agreement assigned the Latin Church all the Transylvanian assets previously administered by the "Roman-Catholic Status". On August 15, 1930, the bishop of Bucharest was appointed metropolitan (the others becoming suffragans ). A redefinition of ecclesiastical administration took place in formerly Austro-Hungarian provinces, corresponding with
18997-448: The pope receives ambassadors of states and sends them his own diplomatic representatives. The Holy See also confers orders, decorations and medals , such as the orders of chivalry originating from the Middle Ages . While the famous Saint Peter's Basilica is located in Vatican City, above the traditional site of Saint Peter's tomb , the papal cathedral for the Diocese of Rome is the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran , located within
19154-416: The post-communist authorities to introduce religious education in public schools , offer substantial financial support for theological institutions and allow denominations to resume their social role by posting clergy in hospitals, elderly care homes and prisons. Although education was an area where churches registered success in the early stages of post-communist transition, religious education remains
19311-412: The practices of the Catholic Church, allowing the Mass to be said in the vernacular (local language) and encouraging "fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations". It intended to engage the church more closely with the present world ( aggiornamento ), which was described by its advocates as an "opening of the windows". In addition to changes in the liturgy, it led to changes to
19468-467: The present-day Babeș-Bolyai University . Originally protected by the powerful Báthorys , they continued to have a precarious status in Transylvania. Expelled in 1588-1595 (when Calvinism became official), and again in 1610-1615 (following the pressures of Gabriel Báthori ), they continued their activities in the Moldavian region around Cotnari . Coinciding with the Habsburg offensives, religious conflicts were resumed and, in 1601 Bishop Demeter Napragy
19625-683: The preservation and transmission of ancient culture. During this period, monastic Ireland became a centre of learning and early Irish missionaries such as Columbanus and Columba spread Christianity and established monasteries across continental Europe. The Catholic Church was the dominant influence on Western civilization from Late Antiquity to the dawn of the modern age. It was the primary sponsor of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque styles in art, architecture and music. Renaissance figures such as Raphael , Michelangelo , Leonardo da Vinci , Botticelli , Fra Angelico , Tintoretto , Titian , Bernini and Caravaggio are examples of
19782-405: The prominent universities of Europe. Scholastic theologians and philosophers such as the Dominican priest Thomas Aquinas studied and taught at these studia. Aquinas' Summa Theologica was an intellectual milestone in its synthesis of the legacy of ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle with the content of Christian revelation. A growing sense of church-state conflicts marked
19939-459: The regions of Muntenia , Northern Dobruja and Oltenia ; it has around 52,000 parishioners, most of them Romanians. The other diocese of its rank, the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia (in Alba Iulia ), groups the region of Transylvania-proper (without Maramureș and Crișana ), and has around 480,000 mostly Hungarian parishioners. Four other dioceses function in Romania and are based, respectively, in Timișoara (the Diocese of Timișoara , representing
20096-543: The rule of local Princes ( see Ottoman Hungary ), Roman Catholicism entered a period of regression, and was later confronted with the success of Reformation . The first community to embrace a Protestant creed were the Transylvanian Saxons , most of whom adhered to the Lutheran Augsburg Confession as early as 1547, followed soon after by large groups of the Hungarian population, who converted to Calvinism . The provostship of Szeben ceased to exist entirely. Catholicism attempted to reestablish itself as George Martinuzzi ,
20253-424: The same year, the Greek-Catholic Church was disestablished, and its patrimony was passed to the Eastern Orthodox Church. At least 70 Eastern Orthodox clergy were imprisoned for refusing to take over the seized Romanian Greek Catholic churches. However, the general absorption of the Romanian Greek Catholics' property and clergy into the Romanian Orthodox Church was achieved, serving as perhaps the clearest example of how
20410-481: The schism was reconciled, unresolved issues would lead to further division. In the 11th century, the efforts of Hildebrand of Sovana led to the creation of the College of Cardinals to elect new popes, starting with Pope Alexander II in the papal election of 1061 . When Alexander II died, Hildebrand was elected to succeed him, as Pope Gregory VII . The basic election system of the College of Cardinals which Gregory VII helped establish has continued to function into
20567-405: The short-lived one of Baia (1405–1413). Over the following centuries, the citadel of Cotnari was home to a notable Catholic community, initially comprising local Hungarians and Germans. In Wallachia, a short-lived Catholic diocese was created during the reign of Radu I , around the main town of Curtea de Argeș (1381). The Moldavian diocese of Siret survived through the early stage of war with
20724-441: The strict control of foreign bishops. Upgrading the local ecclesiastical hierarchy, the move also led to the disestablishment of the Cioplea bishopric. The first Archbishop of Bucharest was Ignazio Paoli . The Neogothic Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest was also completed in 1884, and two seminaries were set up (the main seminary was in Bucharest, and the Iași-based one was a Jesuit institution created in 1886, notably led by
20881-521: The term "bishop of Rome" to the most prominent members of the clergy in the earlier period and also to Peter himself. On this basis protestant scholars Oscar Cullmann , Henry Chadwick , and Bart D. Ehrman question whether there was a formal link between Peter and the modern papacy. Raymond E. Brown also says that it is anachronistic to speak of Peter in terms of local bishop of Rome, but that Christians of that period would have looked on Peter as having "roles that would contribute in an essential way to
21038-427: The urgent request of Pope Stephen, the Frankish king Pepin the Short conquered the Lombards. He then gifted the lands of the former exarchate to the pope, thus initiating the Papal States . Rome and the Byzantine East would delve into further conflict during the Photian schism of the 860s, when Photius criticized the Latin west of adding of the filioque clause after being excommunicated by Nicholas I . Though
21195-423: The various Protestant denominations of Transylvania. In 1657, Armenians in Transylvania who belonged to the Armenian Apostolic Church and were led by Bishop Oxendius Vărzărescu , placed themselves under indirect Roman Catholic jurisdiction, as part of the Armenian Catholic Church . Michael I Apafi , a Transylvanian prince, allowed the resettling of 600 Armenian families from Moldavia in 1672, elevating 55 of
21352-651: The village of Cioplea (presently part of Bucharest). The locality was a new center for the Bulgarian community in Wallachia , but opposition from the local Eastern Orthodox hierarchy allowed the move to be completed only after 1847. Following the end of the Crimean War , the Danubian Principalities came under the supervision of several European powers, ending Russian tutelage and its Regulamentul Organic administration. The two countries were instead awarded ad hoc Divans . On November 11, 1857, on Costache Negri 's proposal, Moldavia's Divan regulated an end to religious discrimination against non-Eastern Orthodox Christians,
21509-423: The war and reunite families. The interwar Pope Pius XI modernized the papacy, appointing 40 indigenous bishops and concluding fifteen concordats, including the Lateran Treaty with Italy which founded the Vatican City State . His successor Pope Pius XII led the Catholic Church through the Second World War and early Cold War . Like his predecessors, Pius XII sought to publicly maintain Vatican neutrality in
21666-428: The world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations. The Catholic Church has profoundly influenced Western philosophy , culture , art , literature , music , law , and science . Catholics live all over the world through missions , immigration , diaspora , and conversions . Since
21823-427: Was a major factor in preserving classical civilization , with its art (see Illuminated manuscript ) and literacy. Through his Rule , Benedict of Nursia ( c. 480 –543), one of the founders of Western monasticism , exerted an enormous influence on European culture through the appropriation of the monastic spiritual heritage of the early Catholic Church and, with the spread of the Benedictine tradition, through
21980-515: Was also closed down on government orders in 1950, after O'Hara left the country. By that year, Romania, like all other Eastern Bloc countries, cut off diplomatic contacts with the Holy See. Only two dioceses were allowed (the Bucharest Diocese and the Alba Iulia Diocese ), while the banned ones continued to function in semi-clandestinity (their new bishops, appointed by the Holy See , were not formally recognized). The Communists unsuccessfully attempted to convince Catholics to organize themselves into
22137-413: Was at its most intense in Poland , and Catholic resistance to Nazism took various forms. Some 2,579 Catholic clergy were sent to the Priest Barracks of Dachau Concentration Camp , including 400 Germans. Thousands of priests, nuns and brothers were imprisoned, taken to a concentration camp, tortured and murdered, including Saints Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein . Catholics fought on both sides in
22294-529: Was burned at the stake for heresy, but his reform efforts encouraged Martin Luther , an Augustinian friar in modern-day Germany, who sent his Ninety-five Theses to several bishops in 1517. His theses protested key points of Catholic doctrine as well as the sale of indulgences , and along with the Leipzig Debate this led to his excommunication in 1521. In Switzerland , Huldrych Zwingli , John Calvin and other Protestant Reformers further criticized Catholic teachings. These challenges developed into
22451-436: Was completely restored in 1771, under Empress Maria Theresia . The defunct provostship of Szeben was not revived, and its assets went instead to the main diocese. It was also under Maria Theresia that Catholic teaching and school administration came under the supervision of the Commissio catholica (this remained the rule under the Austrian Empire and the early years of Austria-Hungary ). In 1700, with Jesuit assistance,
22608-432: Was defeated by the Central Powers and signed the Treaty of Bucharest , but its diplomats remained active in Allied countries, setting up the National Romanian Council in Paris . The latter, which also represented Romanian groups in the Austro-Hungarian-ruled Transylvania and Bukovina , appointed Monsignor Vladimir Ghika as its representative in Vatican City . During the interwar years, Romanian national identity
22765-406: Was first used to describe the church in the early 2nd century. The first known use of the phrase "the catholic church" ( Greek : καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία , romanized : katholikḕ ekklēsía ) occurred in the letter written about 110 AD from Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans , which read: "Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be, even as where Jesus may be, there
22922-424: Was forced out of Alba Iulia, with the see being confiscated by Protestants (although bishops continued to be appointed, they resided abroad). By 1690, Roman Catholics were a minority in Transylvania. In parallel, Hungary-proper was integrated into Habsburg domains (1622), which created a new base for Counter-Reformation, as well as a local seat for the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide . In Moldavia, Catholicism
23079-483: Was itself abolished as a result. The Wallachian one was subordinated to the Bishop of Nikopol (later, of Rousse ) for the following century. In 1792–1793, Bishop Paulus Davanlia left Rousse to live with the Franciscans in Bucharest (who had set up an important center at the Bărăția ). In addition to the local presence, the Danubian Principalities became home to communities of Catholic diasporas : in Bucharest, Ragusan traders were first mentioned Bucharest during
23236-410: Was largely resolved in 1415–17 at the Council of Constance , with the claimants in Rome and Pisa agreeing to resign and the third claimant excommunicated by the cardinals, who held a new election naming Martin V pope. In 1438, the Council of Florence convened, which featured a strong dialogue focussed on understanding the theological differences between the East and West, with the hope of reuniting
23393-420: Was molded to emphasize the Romanian Orthodox Church at the exclusion of other religious groups including Latin and Greek Catholics and Protestants. Trăirism , an anti-Western Romanian political theory led by Nae Ionescu , associated Catholics with a "fundamentally different mode of existence" than true Romanian-ness. For the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Romanian Greek Catholics in particular had been rivals since
23550-465: Was personally welcomed by Teoctist Arăpașu , the Patriarch of All Romania . Problems continued to be faced in the relation with the Orthodox Church, in respect to the status of Greek-Catholic status and property. Catholic Church God Schools Relations with: The Catholic Church , also known as the Roman Catholic Church , is the largest Christian church , with 1.28 to 1.39 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2024. It
23707-433: Was probably set up in the 11th century. Tradition holds that this was done under supervision from King Stephen I — according to the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913, a more likely patron is Ladislaus I , who ruled almost a century after (the first bishop it lists is Simon, who held the see between 1103 and 1113). Other dioceses were created in Cenad ( Csanád ) and Oradea ( Nagyvárad ). They were subordinated to
23864-428: Was reasserted among the Csángós before around 1590, when Franciscan friars took charge of the diocese reestablished in Bacău (1611) and first led by Bernardino Quirini . After 1644, more Jesuits from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth settled in that country, founding a college in Cotnari and establishing a branch in Iași. Around that time, the ethnic Romanian Transylvanian intellectual Gheorghe Buitul joined
24021-456: Was revealed that the Securitate included a special department supervising religious life that tried to solve the so-called problem of the denominations , especially religious groups and individuals hostile to the new regime. After decades of officially-backed atheism, one of the first demands churches in that country put forth after December 1989 was the resumption of pre-university religious education in public schools. In January 1990, less than
24178-414: Was revived soon after the Catholic Stefan Batory took the Transylvanian throne in succession to Zápolya (who had since become King of Hungary). During that age, Latin Catholics were recognized an autonomous structure, which allowed clerics and laity to organize teaching and administrate community schools. A particular compromise was the Saxon citadel of Biertan ( Birthälm ), where the fortified church
24335-436: Was taken over by the majority Lutheran community, and Catholic worship was still allowed to take place in the "Catholic Tower", located just south of the religious building. The Counter-Reformation itself had an impact, with members of the Jesuit religious order being called into the region as early as 1579 (under the rule of Stefan Batory). In 1581, they founded an educational university in Cluj ( Kolozsvár ), nucleus of
24492-416: Was the first bishop of Rome. Others say that the institution of the papacy is not dependent on the idea that Peter was bishop of Rome or even on his ever having been in Rome. Many scholars hold that a church structure of plural presbyters/bishops persisted in Rome until the mid-2nd century, when the structure of a single bishop and plural presbyters was adopted, and that later writers retrospectively applied
24649-403: Was to be included in the pre-university curriculum, with students declaring their religious affiliation in consultation with their parents. Students who were atheist or non-religious had the opportunity to opt out of the classes. The Romanian Senate discussed the bill on 13 June 1995 in the presence of then Minister of Education Liviu Maior (representing the Social Democrats ), with much of
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