Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Romanian Orthodox-Communist Connection

What has been well known to the religious out-groups in Romania for years is finally coming out. As a new archbishop is elected, information from old secret police (Securitate) files is being leaked to reporters. The Orthodox hierarchy was riddled with informers, many of whom used information from the confessional to turn people in.

The mission group I used to work with had strong connections to a village near Zarand where the Securitate rounded up all Baptist males over the age of 12 (the town was largely Baptist) on a Sunday in the 1950's, and shot them in front of their families. Their identities had been supplied to them by the Orthodox priest in the neighboring village. I knew a Baptist ministered who pastored three tiny churches near Beius - he was full of bigotry and hatred against the Orthodox priests, and his rambling, urban-legend laced stories about them offended and bothered the Americans visiting. Easy for us to say he should be more forgiving.

This article led me also to an excellent site in English that includes news from Russia and Romania, transatlantic politics

No comments: