Michael Brooks
Romania is one of Europe's most religiously observant societies, with Romanian Orthodox Christians making up the majority of the population. However, there is a significant number of Catholics in the country, mostly in Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia. The Latin Church, which is centred in Bucharest and recognised as one of 18 state-sanctioned religions, is the second-largest denomination in Romania, with around 741,504 adherents according to the 2022 census. The size of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, on the other hand, is disputed, with official numbers ranging from 195,481 to 764,000.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Romanian citizens adhering to the Latin Church | 741,504 (3.89% of the population) as of 2022 |
| Largest groups within the Latin Church | Hungarians (54.7% or 405,212), Romanians (38.2% or 283,092), Germans (1.7% or 12,495), Slovaks (0.9% or 6,853) |
| Region with most Romanian Latin Catholics | Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia |
| Other Latin Catholic communities | Banat Bulgarians, Italian-Romanians, Polish-Romanians, Croat-Romanians, Krashovani, Czech-Romanians, local Romani people |
| Number of Greek Catholics in Romania | 195,481 as of 2002; Greek Catholics claim 764,000 members |
| Number of Romanian Greek Catholic priests | 791 as of 2006 |
| Number of Romanian Greek Catholic worshipping communities | 1,225 as of 2006 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Latin Church is the second-largest denomination in Romania, with 741,504 adherents
- The Romanian Catholic Church has a presence in Bucharest, where the Franciscan Bulgarian Catholic Bishop of Chiprovtsi moved his seat in 1812
- The majority of Romanian Catholics inhabit the region of Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia
- The Romanian Catholic Church has a history of conflict with the Romanian Orthodox Church, including over the restitution of church buildings
- The size of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church is disputed, with official statistics varying
The Latin Church is the second-largest denomination in Romania, with 741,504 adherents
Historically, Transylvania became part of Hungary in the early 11th century and was later annexed by Habsburg Austrian Emperor Leopold I in the late 17th century. This led to a push for the Orthodox population to become Greek Catholic, resulting in a union with Rome in 1698. However, a popular uprising in 1744 sparked a widespread movement back to Orthodoxy. Over time, Transylvania became home to various ethnic groups, including Hungarians and Germans, who were mostly Latin Catholics, as well as Romanians, who were predominantly Orthodox.
In more recent times, the Latin Church in Romania has faced challenges. During the communist era, many Latin Catholic clerics were imprisoned alongside Greek-Catholic priests. There were also government restrictions aimed at abolishing papal authority and limiting religious practices. These measures included forbidding the celebration of Catholic Mass in Romanian outside of Bucharest and Moldavia until 1978.
Despite these challenges, the Latin Church continues to have a significant presence in Romania, particularly in Transylvania. There, Latin Catholics, mostly from the Hungarian minority, live in homogeneous enclaves and have a strong sense of Catholicism. The region is associated with a widely believed legend about the Virgin Mary appearing to defend against a Protestant invasion, reinforcing the idea of Catholicism having a "home" in Transylvania.
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The Romanian Catholic Church has a presence in Bucharest, where the Franciscan Bulgarian Catholic Bishop of Chiprovtsi moved his seat in 1812
Romanian Catholics are members of the Catholic Church, which is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome. The administration for the local Latin Church is centred in Bucharest and comprises two archdioceses and four other dioceses. It is the second-largest Romanian denomination after the Romanian Orthodox Church, with 741,504 Romanian citizens adhering to the Latin Church (3.89% of the population), according to the 2022 census.
The Romanian Catholic Church has a long history in Bucharest. The city has been home to communities of Catholic diasporas, including Ragusan traders and Italian stonemasons, since the 16th century. In 1812, the Franciscan Bulgarian Catholic Bishop of Chiprovtsi moved his seat to the village of Cioplea, which is now part of Bucharest. This move was prompted by an epidemic in the city and sought to establish a new centre for the Bulgarian community in Wallachia. However, opposition from the local Eastern Orthodox hierarchy delayed the completion of the move until after 1847.
The establishment of the Kingdom of Romania in 1881 led to a government initiative to release Catholic subjects from the authority of foreign bishops. As a result, Pope Leo XIII elevated the Apostolic Vicariate of Wallachia to an archdiocese, with Bucharest as its residence, directly subordinate to the Vatican. The Archdiocese of Bucharest, also known as the Archidioecesis Bucarestiensis, is the Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Romania. It covers not only Bucharest but also the rest of Wallachia, including Oltenia, Muntenia, and Dobruja, spanning across multiple counties. While Bucharest has the largest number of parishes, only 0.9% of the population in this archdiocese is Roman Catholic.
The history of the Romanian Catholic Church in Bucharest is also marked by periods of repression. In the 20th century, the Communists attempted to sever ties between Catholics and the Holy See, imprisoning clerics who refused to comply. Many Latin Catholic and Greek-Catholic clerics were held in communist prisons, and several Catholic institutes were banned or forced to reduce their activities. Despite these challenges, the Romanian Catholic Church persevered, and after the fall of the Communist regime, the church re-emerged publicly, reclaiming its properties and continuing its religious traditions.
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The majority of Romanian Catholics inhabit the region of Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia
Romanian Catholics are members of the Catholic Church, which is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome. The local Latin Church is administered from Bucharest and consists of two archdioceses and four other dioceses. It is Romania's second-largest denomination, after the Romanian Orthodox Church, and one of the 18 state-recognized religions.
According to the 2022 census, there were 741,504 Romanian citizens adhering to the Latin Church, accounting for 3.89% of the population. The largest groups were Hungarians (54.7%), Romanians (38.2%), Germans (1.7%), and Slovaks (0.9%). Most Romanian Latin Catholics live in Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia.
Transylvania, one of Romania's three major regions, along with Wallachia and Moldavia, became part of Hungary in the early 11th century. While the region was home to significant numbers of Hungarians and Germans, who were primarily Latin Catholics, the Orthodox Romanians constituted the majority of the population.
The Romanian Greek Catholic Church has historically been most prominent in Transylvania. In 1687, when Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg Austria drove the Turks out of Transylvania and annexed it, he encouraged the Orthodox inhabitants to become Greek Catholic. The Jesuits began missionary work among the Transylvanian Romanians in 1693, and their efforts, combined with the denial of full civil rights to the Orthodox and the growing influence of Protestantism, led to a union with Rome under Orthodox Metropolitan Atanasie of Transylvania in 1698. However, in 1744, an uprising led by the Orthodox monk Visarion sparked a widespread return to Orthodoxy.
Today, Latin Catholics in Romania are predominantly members of an ethnic Hungarian minority living in homogeneous enclaves in eastern Transylvania. This region is considered a Catholic homeland, and an annual pilgrimage to the site of the Virgin Mary's apparition strengthens this sense of belonging.
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The Romanian Catholic Church has a history of conflict with the Romanian Orthodox Church, including over the restitution of church buildings
Romania has a population of 16,367,267, according to the 2011 census data. Of these, 85.9% (or 14,049,587) belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Romanian Catholic Church, on the other hand, has a much smaller following, with 741,504 adherents (3.89%) as of 2022. The Catholic Church in Romania is comprised of two archdioceses and four other dioceses, with the majority of Romanian Latin Catholics inhabiting the region of Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia. Smaller Latin Catholic communities exist among Banat Bulgarians, Italian-Romanians, Polish-Romanians, Croat-Romanians, Czech-Romanians, and the local Romani people.
The Romanian Catholic Church has a history of conflict with the Romanian Orthodox Church. In 1948, the Greek-Catholic Church was suppressed by the regime, and its property was confiscated by the government and given to the Orthodox Church. This led to a situation of conflict and bitterness between the two denominations. The Catholic Church attempted to resume contact in 1971, sending a delegation to Bucharest to meet with the Orthodox Church. This marked the beginning of improved relations between the two churches, with a reciprocal visit by the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church to Rome in 1975, and a second visit in 1977 for the enthronement of the new Patriarch. Despite these efforts, the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the two churches was still non-existent during the Communist regime of Ceausescu.
The Romanian Orthodox Church has also been accused of anti-Semitism, with roots in the 19th century, and evolving into different forms in the 1930s. This mixture of nationalism, racism, and theological thought was further influenced by Nazi Germany's theological ideas. The Church has also published attacks against Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals, and stood out for its anti-ecumenical stance.
In recent years, there have been allegations that the Eastern Orthodox Church is destroying Greek-Catholic churches with the support of Romanian authorities. This conflict also includes the restitution of church buildings, with the government confiscating Greek-Catholic Church property and giving it to the Orthodox Church.
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The size of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church is disputed, with official statistics varying
As of 2023, the size of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, a church in full communion with the Pope, is a matter of some contention. Official statistics vary, and there are a number of factors that contribute to the uncertainty.
The Romanian government's 2011 census reported that there were approximately 150,000 Greek Catholics in Romania. This number, however, has been disputed by the Romanian Greek Catholic Church itself, which claims a significantly higher number of adherents. The church's own estimates place the number of Greek Catholics in Romania at closer to 500,000. This discrepancy can be partly attributed to the fact that the census relied on self-declaration, and some Greek Catholics may not have identified as such, either out of fear of discrimination or due to a lack of understanding of the religious landscape.
Historical factors also play a role in the uncertainty. The Romanian Greek Catholic Church was outlawed during the communist period, and many of its adherents practiced their faith in secret or were persecuted. As a result, there is a degree of uncertainty about the number of Greek Catholics in the country, as well as a potential underreporting of their numbers. Additionally, the migration of Romanians to other parts of Europe, especially Western Europe, has impacted the demographic landscape, and it is unclear how many Romanian Greek Catholics may now reside outside of the country.
The dispute over the size of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church has implications for its representation and recognition in the country. The Romanian government officially recognizes 18 religious denominations, and the number of adherents is a factor in determining a religion's legal status. The Romanian Greek Catholic Church, despite its disputed numbers, is recognized as a religious denomination in Romania, and it continues to advocate for accurate representation and recognition based on its estimates of its community size.
The varying statistics also highlight the complex religious landscape of Romania, which is predominantly Eastern Orthodox, but also includes a significant number of Catholics of both the Latin and Greek rites, as well as various Protestant denominations. Accurate religious demographics are important for understanding the social and cultural fabric of the country, and the dispute over the size of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church underscores the need for more comprehensive and nuanced data on religious affiliation and practice in Romania.
Finally, it is worth noting that the number of Catholics of the Latin rite in Romania is more clearly defined, with the 2011 census reporting approximately one million adherents. However, even this number has been subject to some debate, with the Catholic Church in Romania claiming a slightly higher number of followers. Nonetheless, Catholics of the Latin rite represent a smaller proportion of the overall population, and their numbers are not subject to the same degree of dispute as their Greek Catholic counterparts.
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Frequently asked questions
The number of Catholics in Romania is disputed. The 2022 census indicated there were 741,504 Romanian citizens adhering to the Latin Church, which is 3.89% of the population. However, the Greek Catholics officially claim 764,000 members.
54.7% of Romanian Catholics are Hungarian.
Romanian Orthodox is the predominant religion in Romania.
Most Romanian Catholics inhabit the region of Transylvania and Bacău County in Moldavia.
The Catholic Church in Romania is the Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome.
