Justin Moisescu Dies; Patriarch of Romanian Orthodox Church
The patriarch of Romania’s Orthodox church, Justin Moisescu,has died at age 76.
The official Romanian news agency Agerpres Thursdaydid not give the date or cause of his death.
Moisescu was made patriarch in June, 1977, after the death of Patriarch Justinian.
In Romania, as in other Soviet bloc countries, church leaders must declare allegiance to the communist state in order to be approved by the government. The commission that voted Moisescu into office included both church and government officials.
Keston College, a British organization monitoring churches and religious rights in Eastern Europe, said in a report in June that several Romanian Orthodox priests had been persecuted for accusing Moisescu of being too subservient to President Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime.
Western diplomats say the church has won more political freedom than the smaller Roman Catholic and Protestant churches by cooperating with authorities.
Moisescu was the fourth patriarch of the Romanian church, which has 16 million followers. It did not receive independence from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until 1885.
Agerpres did not speculate on a successor to Justin, who had been a deputy in Romania’s Grand National Assembly or parliament since 1961.
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