Pope tells Romanians rift with Orthodoxy must be healed

Nicolae Ceausescu, the former Communist dictator of Romania overthrown in a violent revolt 10 years ago, had a passion for grandiose…

Nicolae Ceausescu, the former Communist dictator of Romania overthrown in a violent revolt 10 years ago, had a passion for grandiose building projects.

In the centre of Bucharest, Ceaucsescu ordered the construction of what is one of the world's biggest buildings, a lavishly decorated palace with more than 1,000 rooms.

In the shadow of this gigantic Communist monument, the fiercely anti-communist Pope John Paul II said Mass yesterday evening on the final stage of a three-day visit to Romania.

More than 200,000 people, one of the biggest crowds seen in Romania for several years, had gathered in hot spring sunshine to attend. Many had journeyed for several hours from Romania's Catholic heartlands of Transylvania, in central Romania, and Moldova in the north-east of the country.

READ MORE

While the Pope's trip to Romania was a relatively subdued affair in comparison with many papal tours, it was seen by Rome as a vital bridge-building exercise with the Orthodox Church.

Romania's Orthodox Church is the world's second-biggest after Russia. The Pope's trip marks the first time a pontiff has paid an official visit to a country where the majority are Orthodox.

Pope John Paul, who impressed the crowds by speaking in Romanian at all his public engagements, talked of the need for arguments between Rome and the world of Orthodoxy to be resolved.

"These ancient wounds must be healed," he said. Patriarch Teoctist, the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, accompanied the pontiff on a drive through the capital.

The two were in attendance at each other's services, singing their blessings to the crowds like a well practised duet.

The Romanians, though strongly influenced by their Slav neighbours, are primarily Latin in their language and character. Patriarch Teoctist is reported to have joked with the Pope about the strange paradox of a trip in which a Slav pope came to meet a Latin patriarch.

Romania, racked by economic problems with rising unemployment and much of its infrastructure in serious decline, is desperate for foreign investment. The Pope's visit was seen as a way of showing that the country is opening up to the world. Romania's economic problems have been exacerbated by the Yugoslav conflict. One of the country's main trade routes, the Danube, has been blocked as a result of NATO's bombing campaign.

However, Bucharest, which has made EU and NATO membership key objectives of its foreign policy, is allowing NATO aircraft to use its air space.

The Pope and the Orthodox patriarch issued a joint declaration calling on all sides in the conflict to put down their arms and stressing the dangers of war in the Balkans region. But for all the bonhomie between the two church leaders, there are still tensions between Rome and the Orthodox Church.

Only about 6 per cent of Romania's 23 million people are Catholics. These include about 250,000 who are Greek Catholics, a community that broke away from Orthodoxy in the 17th century. The Greek Catholics recognise the jurisdiction of Rome but follow many Orthodox practices, including allowing priests to marry. The Greek Catholics were suppressed during the years of Communist rule: priests and bishops were tortured and imprisoned and church property was confiscated. Some Greek Catholics accuse the Orthodox Church of having collaborated with the Communists and arguments over the return of confiscated Greek Catholic properties are only now being addressed.