The Romanian Orthodox Church is the second largest Orthodox church with approximately 23 million members. The majority of Romania’s population (about 16 million or 86%) along with over 700,000 Moldovans belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and ranks seventh in the order of precedence. Its highest ranking bishop or “primate” has the title of “patriarch”. Its jurisdiction covers Romania, with additional dioceses for Romanians living outside of the country. It is the only Eastern Orthodox church using a Romance language, as it conducts its services primarily in its native language which is a mix of Latin/Italian and Slavic/Russian. Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church sometimes refer to the Orthodox doctrine as dreapta credinţă (right belief).
Christianity entered the region by the fourth century. By the end of the ninth century the church liturgy was being conducted in the Slavic language, which remained the case until the 17th century when Romanian began to replace it. During the Ottoman empire from the 16th to the 20th century the church helped Romania to retain its national identity.
The communist regime in Romania allowed many monasteries to remain open following World War II, as well as several seminaries. Still, the church was tightly controlled by the state. Many churches reopened after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of Romania’s communist dictatorship, churches and seminaries reopened. Church leaders proposed building a new cathedral in Bucharest, and the Romanian government built new churches in ethnically Hungarian areas of Romania, provoking criticism. The number of members is estimated at nearly 16-19 million.
There are more than twelve thousand priests and deacons in Romania, serving over 14,000 churches with hundreds of churches being built or restored. There are also 400 monasteries along with 3,500 monks and 5,000 nuns. Fifteen theological universities educate over ten thousand students each year in the country as well.