Pope Benedict XVI prodded the government of Romania to ensure equal
justice for all religions, during an October 21 meeting with the
nation’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Bogdan Ttaru-Cazaban.
Eastern-rite Romanian Catholics and their Orthodox counterparts have
been in disputes for years over the possession and use of church
properties that were seized from Catholics by the Communist government
and turned over to Orthodox parishes.
The Romanian Catholic Church
endured brutal persecution during the Stalinist era, and today Catholics
continue to press for compensation for the churches that were
confiscated.
Pope Benedict raised the issue indirectly, speaking first about
Romania’s liberation from Communist rule.
He remarked that "so many
years passed under the yoke of a totalitarian ideology leave deep scars
in people's mentality,” creating challenges for the government as it
strives to establish a new democracy.
The Pontiff said that the Romanian
people must now resist the lure of materialism and other “false
ideologies,” promoting the common good and “making good use of your
freedom.”
In that context, the Pope said that “injustices inherited
from the past should be repaired without being afraid of doing justice.”
He spoke more directly about Catholic-Orthodox conflicts, saying that a
mixed commission set up in 1998 to mediate disputes about parish
property “must be reactivated.”
Citing the advances that have been made in ecumenical
affairs—particularly since the visit to Romania by Pope John Paul II--
the Holy Father said: “Commitment to dialogue in charity and truth must
be strengthened and joint initiatives promoted.”
SIC: CC/INT'L