The involvement in the campaign for the 2024 presidential elections has brought criticism and complaints to several priests. The list includes dozens of names, priests to be sanctioned in the eparchies, while Archbishop Theodosius of Tomis and Bishop Ignatius of the Huşi were sanctioned by the Holy Synod.
Bishop Ignatie (st.) And Archbishop Teodosie, sanctioned photo: Hușilor Ep./Archbishop. Tomis
The two archbishops sanctioned with written dojana were in opposite positions in the campaign for the presidential elections 2024. While Archbishop of Tomis, Teodosie, supported on Călin Georgescu, in an interview in the foreign press, calling the candidate. “The envoy of God”Archbishop of Hușilor, Ignatie, had to answer because in the Christmas pastoral “Vehemently criticized the profile of the candidate Călin Georgescu without mentioning his name”. The document in which the decisions of the Holy Synod are mentioned was published exclusively by Dobrogealives, two days after the Romanian Patriarchate announced that two hierarchs were sanctioned with a written dozen, but did not respond to the requests to reveal the names of the two.
“Some clergy” have carried out “constant or sporadic”, “direct or indirect propaganda”
“The general line of the synodal decisions so far has been made up of two components: a. The political neutrality of the Church as a whole and b. Permission, in exceptional cases, for priests and deacons to run, as independent and with the approval of their tenants, to the position of local or county councilor ”, It is mentioned in the document in which the decisions adopted by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church are communicated in the working meeting of February 5-6, 2025. The Holy Synod reminded the BOR position towards the political life and the election campaigns, as well as the recommendations made by the Stranger of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church regarding the election year, a guide approved since 2016. Thus, the priests and deacons from the eparchies, “You consider it competent to be chosen to represent the interests of the communities from which they come effectively.”they can apply independently, within the limits of the decision of the BOR Synod. The list of priests and deacons who received permission to apply and were chosen must be sent to the Chancellery of the Holy Synod at the end of the election campaigns.
According to the law (L 489/2006 on religious freedom and general cult of cults), “The recognized cults are factors of social peace and any attitude of public enmissions in society, of political partisancar, an attack on the person or of tensioning the relations with the public authorities are contrary to the spiritual mission of the Church in society.” Last year’s elections, the presidential ones in particular, are mentioned in the Synod document, created a context in which “Much of society has been split”, but “The church remained firm, maintaining its political neutrality,” It is said in the document. In the public space, however “Some clergy” they carried out “Constant or sporadic”, “Direct or indirect propaganda, by any means or activities in favor of political parties or a candidate for occupying public functions.”
Some of “Skids” they were “Publicly challenged in real time”on television, in the press or on social networks, “thus creating an even greater deficit to the Church ”.
REFERRAL “Numerous” s-they also received at the Chancellery of the Holy Synod, they are still recognized in the document, these being redirected to the dioceses for settlement.
There were also situations in which the petitioners were in confusion, the document shows, being blatantly complained, such as Virgiliu Gheorghe, or former priests, such as Petru Geonea – “Of which they did not know the fact that it is cared for and excluded from monasticism by the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuților.”
27 names on the list of priests and worship units for which notices were submitted
Based on the notifications, the Chancellery of the Holy Synod has prepared a list of the complained clergy or the complained units, a list ordered descending according to the number of notifications received.
The list of the list is the priest Ciprian Mega, from the Episcopate of Oradia, recently sanctioned, while the priest Radu Preda, from the Archdiocese of Bucharest, is on the 2nd place, on the 3rd place being the Hieronymite Callistrat Chifan, within the Archdiocese of Iașilor.
Here is the complete list found in the document of the Chancellery of the Holy Synod:
1. pr. Ciprian Mega – the Episcopate of Oradia;
2. Pr. Radu Preda – Archdiocese of Bucharest;
3. Jerome. Calistrat Chifan – Archdiocese of Iasi;
4. St. John the Golden Mouth – Tomis Archdiocese;
5. The Church of St. Holy Mc. Haralambie – Tomis Archdiocese;
6. Pr. Petru Munteanu – Archdiocese of Iasi (Săvineşti);
7. Pr. Lucian Costea – Tomis Archdiocese;
8. Tăcăbeşti Parish – Bucharest Archdiocese;
9. Pr. Mihai Andrei Aldea – Archdiocese of Iasi;
10. Pr. Ioan Puiu Tudor – Episcopia of Covasnei and Harghita;
11. Pr. Cătălin Axinte – Archdiocese of Sucevei and Rădăuți;
12. Pr. Teodor Ciurariu – Archdiocese of Iasi;
213. Pr. Ioan Onea – the Episcopia of Tulcii;
14. Pr. Emil George Apostol – Bucharest Archdiocese;
15. The Parish of St. Nicholas – Lazaret – Archdiocese of Iasi;
16. Pr. Marian Daniel Bona – Archdiocese of Craiova;
17. Pr. Gheorghiță Albu – the diocese in which he serves is not known;
18. Pr. Sorin Bute – Archdiocese of Târgoviştei;
19. Pr. George Cabulea -arhiepiscopia Alba Iuliei;
20. Pr. Cristian Deheleanu – Archdiocese of Bucharest;
21. Pr. Călin Matei Popovici – Archdiocese of Vadului, Feleacului and Cluj;
22. Pr. Marius Slevaş – Alba Iuliei Archdiocese;
23. Pr. Dănuţ Codaescu – Archbishop Iasi;
24. Pr. Valentin Berechet – Tomis Archdiocese;
25. Petru Geonea was a hieromonah of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți, cared for and excluded from monasticism;
26. Pr. Cătălin Varga -arhiepiscopia Vadului, Feleacului and Cluj
27. Pr. Emanuel Valica – Archdiocese of Sucevei and Rădăuți.
Many of those mentioned were already known for their previous public posts and comments, they violated, say their bosses, “Communication discipline”, the task of preventing and sanctioning the deviations from this discipline returning to their tenants.
How should they express themselves? “Always with elegance, the specific Christian responsibility and sobriety, without attacks on the person, balanced and constructive ”, and when formulating their own views they should be explicitly and clearly “In the sense of marking the respective post with personal opinion and using an adequate style”, and if they express a position already formulated by the church must quote “With accuracy” the approved text.
Theodosy of Tomis and Ignatius of Huşi received written dojana
“D.Hierarchs of the Holy Synod did not respect the canonical, statutory and synodal discipline regarding the position of the Romanian Orthodox Church towards the political and electoral life ”is mentioned in the document. The two are the Archbishop of Tomis, Theodosius, respectively the Bishop of Hușilor, Ignatius. These “They made some biased statements regarding the profile of a candidate for the Presidency of Romania.”
Archbishop Teodosie had to account for the statements made in an interview for the French publication Le Figaro, before the election cancel. Theodosius called Călin Georgescu “more of a man of God than a politician.”
“Unlike most of the other candidates, he has a balanced temperament, he never raises his voice and does not deny. Of course, as the devil exists everywhere, there are people who oppose it. But most of my believers share my appreciation. We believe that Mr. Georgescu is a send of God ” said Teodosie, quoted by the French newspaper, his words being analyzed by the Synod.
The bishop of the Hușilor also had to account for the fact that in the Christmas Pastoral he criticized “vehement“The profile of the same candidate, even if he did not mention his name.
“We find ourselves in a fragmented society of “political passions”, supported by those who nourish “social hatred”; by those who take the name of the Lord in the desert; by those who want to escape from the citadel, whether it is imperfect, of the European and North Atlantic values; by those who obsessively believe that they hold the remote control of Jesus on earth; by those who believe more in the ancestral goddess of the Earth, with their idolized energies and waters; by those who deceive us with the false patriotism and pacifism; by recent preachers of the syncretist heresy of New Age, which is “the greatest danger to our Christian life” and in which Christ “is reduced to the rank of great master of spirituality”, by those who preach harmful ideology of totalitarian progress. quantified only to his biological dimension, being considered only a cultural and fluid construct, by those who believe that the living Church of Christ divides, and spirituality unites. ” It is the text that brought to Bishop Dojana Synodal written.
The two senior clergy received “written synodal dojana” (written synodal warning) and were warned that in the case of the relapse will be sent to the prime archdiocese (the “Court” of the BOR).
It should be mentioned that the Archbishop of Tomis received a similar sanction last year, when it was also warned that if it relapses the judgment in the archer consistory, which has not happened.
