Romanian ambassador Sorin Dumitru Ducaru affirmed the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania for its work with the government in developing religious freedom and human rights.
Romanian ambassador Sorin Dumitru Ducaru affirmed the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania for its work with the government in developing religious freedom and human rights. “The beauty of a democratic society is allowing all to work together in developing a free society, and the Adventist Church has helped to preserve this opportunity for the future,” he said during a visit Nov. 12 to the church’s world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.
“While Romania has had restrictive laws in the past, the new legislation legally accepts a broader range of religions, and the government supports these religions in various ways,” he said.
Ducaru also praised the Adventist Church’s new daily TV show in Romania as a positive endeavor that not only provides basic information on health and education, but can be used as a medium to promote cultural awareness and diversity.
Ducaru talked about his upbringing in the Orthodox faith where respect for diversity is emphasized, and commented that this is the same spirit one can observe among those of his generation.
“The Romanian Constitution guarantees liberty of thought and conscience, and we are thankful for the support of the government for the various meetings and symposiums on religious freedom that our church has organized,” said Dr. John Graz, director of the church’s public affairs and religious liberty department. “We will continue to work with the Romanian government to ensure religious freedom.”
Graz explained that in early September the Adventist Church launched a second stage of a five-year plan to raise the church’s public profile, through a commitment to being “visible, active, and useful” in local communities.
Adrian Bocaneanu, president of the church in Romania, who attended the meeting with Ducaru, mentioned current challenges that still exist in some villages outside Bucharest. “We have no access to communal burial ground, and Adventists have launched a campaign to ensure the right of Adventists to be buried in local cemeteries,” he said.
Bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine, Romania’s population of more than 22 million is made up of approximately 70 percent Romanian Orthodox, 6 percent Roman Catholic, 6 percent Protestant and 18 percent unaffiliated. There are some 73,000 Adventist church members in the country.
