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THE PANDEMIC COVID 19, A MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

D. G. Pandele

Abstract

The Pandemic Covid 19 profoundly changed the mentality, religious Traditions, inter-human and inter-institutional relationship. The Orthodox Church Romanian, from 26 February 2020, had to respond to the challenges arising from the expansion of the covid pandemic 19, according to its own theology and sacred Traditions, but according to the anti-covid 19 national legislation and sanitary measures. The method used official data published by the state institutions, military orders, presidential decrees, journalistic articles and Orders of the Romanian Patriarchate, or of the Bishops. Progresist press and various personalities from Romania and of Europe have imposed some new challenges on the public agenda such as: receiving the eucharisty by using the same sacred teespoon by believers, worshipping icons, crosses, holy relics, as well as religious services on sundays, participating in pilgrimages, all these religious practices have been suspected as vectors of infection with the new coronavirus. These topics have been debated with great passion by theologians, sociologists, politicians, etc. I observed a great polarization of opinions: on the one hand, orthodox theologians reject the idea that it would be possible for believers to be infected by the religious practices, on the other hand, there is evidence of a gradual increase in the number of cases, implicitly deaths, which requires a number of health precautions. The pandemic covid 19 is an opportunity for the Orthodox Churches to clarify its Sacred Tradition, to reflect on the new sanitary rules and to intensify inter-Orthodox communion and, for atheist or progressive-humanist circles, a reason to reflect on the importance of religious belief in stimulating the body's immunity.

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