The role of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the life of the country
changed considerably after World War I with the addition of substantial
populations of other faiths. Efforts to secure a favored position in its
legal relationship to the state and to other denominations were defeated
when pressure from the Roman Catholic and Uniate churches forced the
government to guarantee religious freedom and the complete equality of
all churches. At the same time, the Orthodox church's former role in the
administration of governmental affairs at the local level was being lost
to a growing secular civil service and educational system. The position
of the church in the life of the average communicant, however, continued
to be one of considerable power and influence. As the largest Orthodox
church outside of the Soviet Union, the Romanian Orthodox Church also
exercised a degree of leadership among other Orthodox churches.

The revised statutes of the Romanian Orthodox Church issued in 1949
differ little from those in effect before that date. Authority was
somewhat more centralized, and the prerogatives of the patriarch were
more clearly defined, but the structure of the church remained
essentially the same. The patriarchate is divided into five
metropolitanates, which in turn are divided into twelve dioceses. Each
diocese is composed of parishes encompassing 1,500 to 2,500 communicants
each. The clerical head at each level is assisted in his religious and
administrative duties by a council composed of one-third clergymen and
two-thirds laymen. The administration of monasteries falls under the
jurisdiction of the head of the diocese. Since a 1952 reorganization of
institutions for religious training, the Romanian Orthodox Church has
had two theological institutes for the training of clergy and six
schools for chanters and for monastic priests.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Roman Catholic Church is second in size of membership to the
Romanian Orthodox Church and, since the absorption of the Uniates by the
Orthodox church, the most important minority religion. Its estimated
membership of between 1.2 million and 1.5 million in the 1960s was
composed mostly of Hungarians and German Swabians (see ch. 4).

As the principal denomination of the Hungarian minority, the Roman
Catholic Church has played a cultural and political role in the life of
the country as well as a religious one. The well-organized body of the
church and its re