Public Governance and Religion. Key Historical Turns in Modern Romania - Catalin Raiu

In some legal cultures, constitutionalists and politicians count a first, a second, or even a fifth republic. In a like manner, it could be said that Catalin Raiu has analyzed the interdependence of the First Romanian Orthodox Church and public governance from the parliamentary regime of the late 19th century to state socialism. During this period, the state was able to keep the Church in a position of administrative and financial dependency, even if the Church managed oftentimes to inspire many public policies, mainly in matters of nationhood, welfare, and constitutional design.

After 1990, a Second Romanian Orthodox Church slowly came of age. A Church independent from the state, but capable of claiming unconditional financial benefits on the public budget. A Church that took the lead in terms of human and social values or the governance of the numerous Romanians living abroad. Behind the image of a continuous, traditional, and everlasting institution, this Church has started a history of its own.

Prof. univ. dr. Daniel Barbu

Din cuprins

• Rationale: Why a book on religion and public governance
• Religion and Politics. An intertwined conceptual pair
• Subsidiarity, democracy and authority in modern Romania (1860s-1990)
• The Church under the political religion of Communism
• Post-communism: from past tense to past perfect
• The Reflection Group for the Church Renewal (1990-1991/2)

Puncte forte

• analiza detaliata asupra temei in discutie
• caracter interdisciplinar
• interpretari si clarificari ale dezbaterilor din doctrina
• multiple referinte de drept comparat
• ample referinte bibliografice

Despre autor

Catalin RAIU is a faculty member at the Faculty of Business and Administration and at the University of Bucharest; he was selected as a member of the panel of experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for the term 2019-2022, and since 2023 he is serving on the Steering Board of the National Council for Combating Discrimination of Romania.