On Sunday, marking 35 years of episcopal ministry and the first feast day of Saint Liviu Galaction of Cluj, Patriarch Daniel of Romania spoke about the reintroduction of religious education in Romanian schools—a significant achievement of the Romanian Orthodox Church after the fall of communism, in which Patriarch Daniel played an important role.
The Patriarch of Romania emphasized that religious education is not a privilege but a cultural necessity and a restoration of historical justice.
“I especially think of the fact that the religious education class was initially supported as an act of justice because it had been banned during communism. Confessor Liviu Galaction of Cluj, whom we commemorated yesterday, was imprisoned because he organized a catechesis program, teaching children and young people religion in the church after the communist state removed religious education from schools in 1948,” Patriarch Daniel noted.
A Historic Effort to Restore Religious Education
Patriarch Daniel recalled how he persuaded the Minister of Education to reinstate religious education in schools.
“In 1990, I insisted and explained to the Minister of Education that we must return to the Romanian tradition,” the Patriarch of Romania said.
The minister responded that a French official had suggested that religious education was unnecessary in schools.
“I presented two books that I had brought from Germany—documents outlining the agreements between the state and the two major churches, the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church of Germany, demonstrating that religious education was regarded as a cultural necessity for understanding the history and identity of the German people.”
Faith Overcoming Ideological Challenges
“There were many challenges, including attempts to remove religious symbols and icons from schools, but the people’s faith proved stronger than temporary ideologies. This is why we believe we have to pass on the treasure of Christian faith, which is none other than the very presence of Christ in the hearts of the people,” Patriarch Daniel concluded.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
Source: basilica.ro
