The role of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Great Union of 1918

This year we are celebrating the first centenary of the Great Union of 1 December 1918. It is a God-given opportunity to express our admiration and gratitude to those who contributed to the realisation of this national ideal. It is therefore fitting, in the light of this momentous event, to remember with reverence those exceptional men of our nation who made it possible for Romanians to be reunited in a single country. Respect for the past prompts us today – without claiming to exhaust the subject – to recall the important role played by the Romanian Orthodox Church in the fulfilment of this national aspiration, through its worthy and humble ministers of yesteryear.

Before presenting a few figures of clergymen who, in December 1918, contributed to the forging of the unified Romanian state, it is worth noting that, over the course of time, the Church stood in solidarity with the aspirations of the people and stood by its flock, instilling in their hearts the supreme ideals of freedom and national unity, of faith and fraternal mutual aid. Thus, numerous bishops, priests, monks, teachers, icon and church painters, printers, as well as thousands of the faithful carried with them, from one side of the Carpathians to the other, the same language, the same faith and the same Romanian spirit. Let us think of Coresi, Saint Varlaam, Saint Dosoftei, Teodosie, Saint Antim Ivireanul, Chesarie and other learned hierarchs from Moldavia and Wallachia, whose liturgical books and teachings circulated throughout the Romanian lands and fostered relations between brothers, ensuring the preservation of unity in faith and nation. But let us not forget the princes of Wallachia and Moldavia either: Mircea the Great, Saint Stephen the Great, Michael the Brave, Matei Basarab, Saint Constantin Brâncoveanu and so many others who, coming to the aid of the Transylvanian faithful, built numerous churches or restored those in ruins, alongside the boyars and clergy from the vast territories of Transylvania. In contrast, the monasteries of Wallachia and Moldavia were home to thousands of monks from across the mountains, some of whom were even elevated to the bishoprics there. Driven from their own country by the Habsburg authorities, they founded churches, hermitages and monasteries to the south and east of the Carpathians, such as Predeal in the Prahova Valley, Suzana and Cheia in the Teleajen Valley, or Stânișoara in the Olt Valley, Cocoș in Dobrogea and others 1.

Moreover, our thoughts turn gratefully to those servants of the ancestral Altar who, at pivotal moments in our history, identifying fully with their flock, did not hesitate to support the struggles waged for centuries in defence of territorial integrity and national independence. Thus we find figures of parish priests and monks with weapons in hand in the uprisings led by Gheorghe Doja or Horea, Cloșca and Crișan, in the army of Mihai Viteazul, in Tudor Vladimirescu’s Revolution, in the Revolution of 1848, at the Union of the Principalities in 1859, in the War of Independence of 1877, and in the Uprising of 1907. Laurențiu Meszaroș, Barabas, Stoica of Fărcaș, Simion of Lupșa, Dumitru of Cinciș, Mihai of Băcia, Ilie of Butoiu Monastery, Fodor of Câmpeni, Vasile Moraru of Bicalatu, and others. are just a few examples of priests who fully identified with the aims and ideals of our people 2. Furthermore, over 250 priests were mobilised during the First World War, accompanying the troops on the battlefield as ‘military chaplains’. Some of them died at the front, whilst others were taken prisoner and deported. In Transylvania, nearly 150 priests were thrown into Hungarian prisons, whilst over 200 were exiled to the county of Sopron, in western Hungary, where they lived in inhumane conditions for two years, having been deemed “enemies of the Austro-Hungarian state”3 Bishop Sofronie Vulpescu of Râmnic himself was arrested in 1917 in Bucharest and held for over a month, and was subsequently exiled to Ialomicioarei Cave, from where he was permitted to settle in Căldărușani 4. Defying death, tending to the wounded, hearing the confessions of those on the brink of death, these sons of the Church walked alongside the people, always at their post, through prayer and exhortation, through deed and action. Thus, the presence of hierarchs and priests, as well as other diocesan advisers and theologians, at the events of 1918 was a natural occurrence, as attested by numerous sources.

Driven by a sense of unity and love for their country, they were present at the National Assemblies in Chișinău on 27 March, in Chernivtsi on 28 November and, in particular, in Alba Iulia on 1 December 1918, during which the ‘unconditional union’ of Bessarabia, Bukovina and Transylvania with Romania was proclaimed. Thus, amongst those who were involved, in Bessarabia, in the efforts to unite with the Motherland, we note the priests Alexandru Baltaga, a member of the Sfatul Țării, Ion Andronic and Andrei Murafa, the hieromonk Dionisie Erhan and the archimandrite Gurie Grosu 5. Regarding the latter, the writer Duiliu Zamfirescu wrote in 1918: “Father Gurie, who is the author of a primer and Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, and, moreover, is leading the preparatory work for the forthcoming synod, should direct the work of the clergy towards fostering a Romanian consciousness among the peasants.” Aware of his lofty mission, Nicolae Iorga later dedicated a few thoughts to him: “The entire struggle for the Romanian language in Bessarabia rested on the shoulders of Father Gurie Grosu.”

From certain notes recorded in the sources of the time, we can see quite clearly his contribution to the unification of the Romanian provinces under a single sceptre. Thus, in the Address delivered during his pastoral journey through the regions of Bălți and Hotin, printed on an unknown date, “Gurie Grosul of Botoșani, Vicar of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Suceava and deputy to the Vicar of Bălți in Bessarabia”, stated: “Know this, brothers, that this land between the Prut and the Dniester is Romanian territory […] other nations living on the land of Bessarabia must also know that they will exercise their national rights, for the Romanian has never oppressed anyone; on the contrary, he has been oppressed and subjugated by others”. The Address delivered on the occasion of the welcome for King Ferdinand and Queen Maria in Chișinău Cathedral, printed in July 1920, is also rich in national and patriotic significance; in it, the future metropolitan stated: “Today, Your Majesties have the joy of seeing the Romanian people, hitherto divided by many unnatural borders, united in one country under the sceptre of Your Majesties. All the Romanian provinces that had been severed have once again been reunited with the Motherland6’ After the union of Bessarabia with Romania was achieved, Gurie Grosu, who had also been part of the delegation that presented the Act of Union to King Ferdinand in Iași in 1918, continued his work for the advancement of national and ecclesiastical life in the Romanian province across the Prut, having been elected Archbishop of Chișinău and Metropolitan of Bessarabia 7.

Among those who distinguished themselves beyond the River Siret, we note the then Orthodox Metropolitan, Vladimir Repta, one of the leading advocates of the union, who, on 28 November 1918, opened the proceedings of the General Congress of Bukovina, in the Synodal Hall of the Metropolitan Palace, where a overwhelming majority voted in favour of “the unconditional and eternal union of Bukovina, within its former borders extending to Ceremuș, Colacin and the Dniester, with the Kingdom of Romania”. Alongside other representatives of national minorities, he was part of the delegation that took the Act of Union of Bukovina with Romania 8 to King Ferdinand in Iași.

In the same context, in Transylvania, the Bishop of Caransebeș, Miron Cristea, the future Patriarch of Romania, deserves special attention. From a letter by Dr Teodor Mihali, a leading Romanian nationalist, we learn that the hierarch was summoned to attend, on 12 October 1918, ‘a private council’, in Oradea-Mare, “so that, in full solidarity, we might do everything possible to serve the common good and avoid undertaking anything that might be to the detriment of our nation”. During the meeting, a Declaration of Independence was drafted, denying the Hungarian government any rights over Transylvania: ‘on the basis of the natural right of every nation to determine its own destiny […] the Romanian nation in Hungary and Transylvania declares that it too wishes to exercise this right and demands that it too be given the opportunity to determine for itself, freely and absolutely, without any foreign interference, its institutional form of government and its place amongst the free nations of the world”. The declaration was to be read out six days later at the session of the Parliament in Budapest by the Member of Parliament Alexandru Vaida-Voevod and was received with great enthusiasm by the Romanian public throughout the country 9.

With unity constantly on his mind, on 8 November 1918, Miron Cristea took the decision, on his own initiative, to no longer mention the Emperor in the Holy Services, even though he had not yet abdicated; instead, the priests were to pray for ‘our supreme national authority’ and ‘the Grand Council of the Romanian Nation’. To this end, the bishop also issued a circular to all parishes in the diocese, which caused a great stir in Romanian circles. His decision was endorsed on 10 November 1918 and ‘canonically ratified by the Orthodox Synod, convened in Arad, in the presence of Bishop Ioan I. Papp, acting metropolitan’ and by the Greek Catholic Metropolis of10.

Vasile Goldiș, a “scholarly professor of history”11, secretary of the Consistory of the Diocese of Arad, a member of the Budapest Parliament and editor of the newspaper Românul in Arad, was particularly active in support of the Union at that time. As described by the priest Ioan Lupaș, he was the political fighter for the rights of an oppressed people, the standard-bearer of intransigence, the herald with the voice of an archangel of national liberation and unification, which he understoodto prepare, together with his colleagues on the National Committee, both through the declaration he drafted in Oradea on 12 October and through the famous speech he delivered at the National Assembly in Alba Iulia on 1 December 1918. “A man of vast culture and progressive socio-political ideas”, Vasile Goldiș laid the intellectual groundwork in Arad for this assembly on the first day of December, just as Simion Bărnuțiu had done in Sibiu for the one held on 3/15 May 1948 12.

Concerned about the fate of the country, he played a prominent role within the Romanian National Council, established on 30 October 1918, “as the sole body representing the will of the Romanian people”13. Convinced of the importance of this governing body, together with the Bishop of Arad, Ioan I. Papp, the great patriot asked the Romanian hierarchs in Transylvania to clarify their stance towards the new Council. The first to respond was Miron Cristea, Bishop of Caransebeș, on 1 November, in the form of a statement in which he invoked the right of every people to freely determine its own destiny: ‘The World War has brought to light the deeply Christian social principle that every nation has the right, in future, to freely determine its own destiny. We, the bishops of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, as faithful sons of our nation, are firmly convinced that the vital interests of the Romanian people, of whom we are the spiritual shepherds, demand as an absolute imperative the realisation of this right to self-determination for our nation. This right can only be realised if the Romanian nation is governed by its own people. Consequently, we declare that we recognise the Great Romanian National Council as the representative and political authority of the Romanian nation in Transylvania and Hungary, and we submit in all respects to the decisions of this council14”. This was followed by the Act of Accession, dated 21 November, signed by the Orthodox bishops Ioan I. Papp and Miron Cristea and the Greek Catholic bishops Demetriu Radu of Oradea, Iuliu Hossu of Gherla and Valeriu Traian Frențiu of Lugoj, who declared: “We, the undersigned Bishops of the Romanian Orthodox and Romanian Greek Catholic Churches – are firmly convinced that the vital interests of the Romanian people, of whom we are the spiritual shepherds, demand as an absolute imperative the realisation of this right to self-determination for our people […] feeling entitled and duty-bound – as faithful sons of our nation – to work with all our might towards the realisation of our national aspirations’15 Four days later, this joint declaration also appeared in the newspaper Românul: “We recognise the Great Romanian National Council as the representative and political leader of the Romanian nation in Hungary and Transylvania; may all the faithful work together to realise our national aspirations”16.

Looking back through the lens of history, we can say that the efforts towards unity were also supported by other clergymen of the Church, who helped organise national councils and guards in all the villages and towns of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana and Maramureș 17. Thus, between 4 and 17 November 1918, national councils were established in 30 communes, where the priest or religious schoolteacher was usually the chairman of the committee and, at times, even of the national guard 18. In Sibiu, the theology professors Silviu Dragomir and Nicolae Bălan (the future Metropolitan of Transylvania) played an important role; in Caransebeș, Bishop Miron Cristea, Archpriest Andrei Ghidiu, theology professor Petru Barbu and diocesan secretary Cornel Corneanu; in Oradea, diocesan vicar Roman Ciorogariu and secretary Aurelian Magieru (the future Bishop Andrei); in Lugoj, Archpriest Gheorghe Popovici; in Arad, Bishop Ioan Papp; in Blaj, the Greek Catholic Vicar Vasile Suciu, together with Professors Alexandru Borza and Alexandru Ciura, etc.

Orthodox church magazines also advocated for unity; these were regarded as genuine platforms for disseminating information and circulars issued by national and ecclesiastical bodies with a view to achieving national unity. Among these, we note Telegraful român in Sibiu, Biserica și Școala in Arad, Unirea in Blaj and Foaia diecezană in Caransebeș 19.

Of particular note is the theology professor Nicolae Bălan, who, alongside his colleague Silviu Dragomir and Ioan Broșu, a religious education teacher in Sibiu, edited the Gazeta poporului in that city; its purpose was to inform Romanian readers about the events of the time, but above all to prepare them for the Great Union. Alongside these colleagues and other intellectuals from Sibiu, in the autumn of 1918 he was elected to the Romanian National Council in Sibiu and sent to various villages across the county, to present to the peasants the nation’s key aspirations during those historic moments of the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the formation of nation states on its ruins 20. News reports of the time record that, on 14 November 1918, he was part of the delegation that travelled to Iași to brief the Romanian political leaders, who had taken refuge there, on the situation in Transylvania. Following the meeting with members of the Government and with the diplomatic representatives of France, Britain and the United States of America, he sent a letter to Vasile Goldiș, in which he recommended that he suspend negotiations with the Hungarian Government and “as soon as possible, at a gathering to be held anywhere, but preferably in Alba Iulia, attended by as large a crowd as possible and representatives of local councils from all over, proclaim21 the unconditional annexation to Romania”. He expressed the same idea in a letter addressed to Vicar Vasile Suciu, asking him to organise the event “as well as possible”, so that “the declaration of annexation might be made without any hesitation, with the greatest demonstration of the will of the entire people”22. It is worth noting that at the same time, on the occasion of the commemoration of Mihai Viteazul at the National Theatre in Iași, he delivered a speech in which he highlighted the centuries-long sufferings of the Transylvanians and their desire to unite with the Motherland, concluding as follows: ‘And now, when the chains of centuries-old bondage have fallen and the former Habsburg monarchy has shattered into as many pieces as there were nations it held bound by unnatural ties, the very spirit of Mihai, hidden in the depths of the souls of our entire people, with a will tempered by the fire of many sufferings, soars towards the heights of our new ideal. Blessed be all those who laid stone upon stone in its construction, full of great hopes, who, when the hour struck, staked their very being to cast Mihai’s dream23 into eternal forms.

From Iași, Nicolae Bălan set off, together with General Prezan, for Bucharest, then to Giurgiu, where he met General Berthelot, commander of the French troops on the Danube, to whom he expressed the wish of the Transylvanian Romanians that the Romanian and Allied armies should enter Transylvania as soon as possible. After completing this mission, he returned to Iași, and on the evening of 1 December 1918 he arrived, via Predeal, in Alba Iulia 24. His merits were recognised, and on 2 December 1918 he was elected as one of the 212 members of the Grand Council of the Romanian Nation, a sort of provisional parliament of Transylvania 25.

Another leading figure in the realisation of our statehood was Professor Silviu Dragomir, the clerk of the Great National Council 26, who fought with unwavering determination to fulfil the centuries-old aspiration of the Transylvanians: union with Romania. Risking his career and his freedom, he campaigned tirelessly for the Union in the pages of the newspaper Gazeta Poporului, calling, amongst other things, on the National Council in Arad, together with Nicolae Bălan, to make contact with the Romanian government in Iași. Guided by the light of Romanian unity, he served on the Sibiu Local Council, led by Andrei Bârseanu, with whose support he “issued a declaration bearing 30,000 signatures, representing the commitment of Romanians in this part of Transylvania to unconditional union with Romania”. In the speech he delivered in Alba Iulia on the occasion of the Preliminary Conference of the Great National Assembly, “he spoke out categorically against those who were still demanding national autonomy, pointing out that the only path the Romanian people must follow was Union with their brothers beyond the Carpathians”, and on 1 December 1918, he addressed the assembled crowd on the significance of this momentous event, as a representative of the Transylvanian press. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the sacred act of Union, Silviu Dragomir recalled its importance, saying, amongst other things: “The fact that it took place in a festive setting and, above all, the overwhelming persistence of a single idea—the proclamation of national unity—gives it a special splendour. All thoughts were united, all hopes were kindled, and the willpower of an entire people was crowned, in order to wrest this decision from the course of history27”.

Archpriest Andrei Ghidiu also made a valuable contribution to the realisation of the Act of Union; he was “a good and extremely active patriot”, “a distinguished clergyman and man of culture”28 who, on 25 October 1918, took part in a great national assembly in Caransebeș, where “eternal joy, our national rebirth” was celebrated. A passionate advocate of national unity, he was deeply involved in the preparations leading up to the momentous event at Alba Iulia, opening the meeting in the Town Hall’s main hall—which had become too small to accommodate everyone—for the election of the Local Romanian National Committee and the organisation of the National Guard. In their speeches, Andrei Ghidiu, Cornel Corneanu and Iuliu Vuia – a well-known teacher and author of textbooks for denominational schools in Banat – emphasised the principles of self-determination and freedom for all the peoples of Europe and called for unity: “Let us now be one, not only in thought and feeling, but also in deed; let us strive to prove ourselves worthy of this great historical moment.” Following the election of the Local Romanian National Council, under its chairmanship, he proceeded, together with the entire assembly, to the bishop’s residence, where Bishop Miron Cristea delivered an inspiring speech, in which he stated that “the chains of tyranny have fallen from our bodies”29, and that everyone must swear allegiance to the new Council, whose commands were to become sacred for the Romanians of Transylvania. On the same day, the hierarch issued a circular to the faithful of the diocese, in which he called for support for the Romanian National Council: “Today, everyone recognises the right of every people to self-determination. In accordance with this fundamental principle for the future development of our people, the Committee of the Romanian National Party, elected at the great national conference, is recognised by all competent authorities as the leader and legal representative of our nation’30”.

Amidst the turmoil of events, the priests from the villages of the Mehadia pastoral district also made a strong impression; they addressed an open letter to Bishop Miron Cristea, stating, amongst other things: “We implore YourYour Holiness and the venerable Diocesan Consistory to convene the diocesan clergy at a meeting at which all priests may take an oath of allegiance to the Central Romanian National Council as the supreme authority and issue a declaration of loyalty stating that theclergy of today, like the martyred forebears of the altars, are ready to make any sacrifice upon the altar of our nation […] The clergy are to be at the forefront of all movements, forming one body and one soul, suffering, fighting and dying one for all and all for one, which is to be the sole future of our nation31".

On the other hand, the Transylvanian priests also shared this sense of national unity; they stood alongside their parishioners during the election of the deputies who were to take part in the Great Assembly at Alba Iulia, where the union was to be proclaimed. According to contemporary records, most of the elections took place on the Sunday of 17 November, after the Divine Liturgy, either in parish churches or in denominational school buildings32. In those days, many clergymen served as chairmen of the National Councils. For example, in Alba County, 63 of the 84 councils were chaired by priests, some of whom were even elected as village delegates in the existing constituencies 33. Among the deputies elected in the electoral constituencies of Banat, alongside laypeople, we note the following priests: Ioan Oprea from Timișoara, Ioan Pepa from Buziaș, Ștefan Cioroianu from Comloșul Bănățean, Ioan Țincu from Lugoj, Laurean Luca from Arad, Gherasim Sârbu from Belint, Iosif Popa from Bocșa, Iosif Petean from Vermeș and many others 34.

Among the leaders of the Romanians’ struggle to achieve national unity in the territories beyond the Carpathians was the Banat priest Avram Imbroane. In the speeches he delivered at the national assemblies in Lugoj (30 November 1918) and Alba Iulia (1 December 1918), he firmly expressed the unanimous desire of the people of Banat to unite with Romania. His prolific work on the national stage represented “the Banat’s contribution to the realisation of this great ideal of the Romanian people”. Referring to his contribution to the preparations for the Great Union, Gala Galaction stated that ‘Avram Imbroane has gone down in the national history of the Romanian people’35

The clergy of Hunedoara, led by their archpriests, were also present at the historic assembly in Alba Iulia. Among them were the following archpriests: Iosif Morariu of Dobra, Ioan Popovici of Geoagiu, Dr Cornel Popescu of Hațeg, Vasile Domșa of Orăștie and Vasile Dămian of Brad, all Orthodox, followed by Ion Pop from Hunedoara, Iosif Ștupineanu from Bobâlna, Ioan Ienea from Orăștie, Nicolae Boldoca from Baia de Criș, Nicolae Dumitru from Sarmizegetusa and Nicolae Zugrav from Lupeni, who were Greek Catholics. Priest Iona Budoiu from Câmpuri-Surduc had now been sent to Alba Iulia as a delegate of the ‘Câmpuri-Surduc Music and Singing Society’, of which he was the leader. In addition to these, numerous village priests were also present, alongside the tens of thousands of Romanians attending this grand celebration of the entire Romanian nation 36.

The idea of union also inspired Romanians living abroad, as demonstrated by the priest Ion Podea, a ‘passionate champion of the national cause’37, and ten other clergymen, who, at the beginning of 1918, together with more than seventy delegates, drafted and signed a solemn document entitled ‘Charter of Worship and Submission of the Orthodox Romanians in the United States of America to the Holy Metropolis of Ungrovlahia’. Through this document, they declared that they were no longer bound to the Church of Transylvania—enslaved, deprived of rights and humiliated—and submitted themselves to ‘the Holy Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia, and to follow all that this Holy Metropolis believes, professes and decrees, which alone shall henceforth have the right to provide guidance regarding the administration of our church’38”. Speaking of the importance of this step, the late Metropolitan Nestor Vornicescu of Oltenia wrote in 1988: “In the given historical circumstances, this solemn act was of essential significance, constituting a courageous initiative and achievement, manifested as an expression of national consciousness on the part of Transylvanian patriots who had settled overseas due to the adversity of the times, an attitude of reverence, deep love and full solidarity towards the Holy Romanian Orthodox Church; at the same time, it represented yet another means of vigorously expressing the will for freedom and unity’39”.

However, in addition to those mentioned, the Bishop of Arad, Ioan I. Papp, who, on 23 November 1918, presided as acting metropolitan over the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Hungary and Transylvania. On this occasion, the high ecclesiastical body issued a circular regarding how memorial prayers and the Divine Liturgy were to be conducted, following the changes that had taken place in political life. Thus, in place of the litany for the emperor, priests were to pray “for our supreme national authority and for the great state of the Romanian nation”, and in the three litanies at Vespers, Matins and the Divine Liturgy, the following was to be included: ‘we also pray for our supreme national authority and for the great state of the Romanian nation, for their enlightenment, guidance, peace, health, salvation and the forgiveness of their sins, and that the Lord God may, above all, grant them prosperity and assist them in all their works for the common good’. At the same time, the Synod also drafted a Prayer of Kneeling, which it communicated to the priests via a circular, to be read after the Ambo Prayer during the Divine Liturgy. Here are some significant lines from this circular: “The holy tradition of our Eastern Orthodox Church has always, in its services, paid particular attention to worldly authority or rule. All the more so must the Church of the Romanian people, founded on national foundations, do the same. The entire nation and its leaders, especially in these times of upheaval, need the help of the One above’40

As a result of these joint efforts, the dream of so many generations was realised in the city of former glory, in Alba Iulia, where the Church was represented by the five serving hierarchs, four vicars, ten delegates from the Orthodox and Greek-Catholic consistories, 129 archpriests, one representative each from the theological, and two student representatives from each theological institute, joined by numerous priests and teachers from denominational schools, who were delegates in the electoral constituencies 32. Thus, with 475 deputies and official delegates, who identified with the aspirations of this people oppressed by foreign rule, the clergy accounted for 38 per cent of the total. Like them, numerous priests were present on the Field of Liberty, at the head of their flocks, alongside the 100,000 Romanians who had come to seal their ancestors’ centuries-old desire to live free from oppression in a single country. Alongside the MPs and delegates, there were also representatives of the press, well-known newspapers and journalists, such as Teodor Botiș from Biserica și Școala in Arad, N. Regman from Telegraful Român in Sibiu and Alexandru Vasilie from Foaia Diecezană in Caransebeș 41.

To the great delight of those present, the celebrations began on Sunday, 1 December, with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and the Te Deum service in the two Romanian churches in Alba Iulia, as an act of thanksgiving to God. At the end of the service, Bishop Miron Cristea read the Prayer for the Liberation of the Romanian People, which “brought tears of joy to the eyes of all those present”, according to an eyewitness account. By way of example, these lines remain particularly eloquent: ‘Lord, our God, You are our Father, You saw the distress of our forefathers and heard their cry, for they had become like a flower in the frost, and their souls were turning to dust, and their bodies were clinging to the earth. You have fulfilled for us also what You promised long ago […] And now You have sent salvation to us, and all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God’42”.

Piety and inspiration were then fully united in the deeply moving words delivered by Bishop Ioan I. Papp, who added at the dismissal: “Christ, our true God, who rose from the dead, has also raised up the Romanian people and granted us the glorious day of the Union of the Nation. ‘Help, O Lord, our country, Greater Romania, to flourish and grow strong, so that we may glorify Your name for ever’43”. Deeply moved by this sublime event, those present sang the anthem ‘Awake, O Romanian!’, accompanied by the renowned choir of theology students from Sibiu, conducted by Timotei Popovici. At the words ‘priests with the cross upon their foreheads’, Bishop Ioan I. Papp stepped forward before the altar, holding the cross aloft in his right hand, and at the line ‘we would rather die in battle’, everyone raised their hand in the ‘44’ oath.

The Bishop of Arad spoke at the conclusion of the proceedings, emphasising, on this occasion too, the role of our Orthodox Church in the life of the Romanian people, saying, amongst other things: “We have now gathered here, in full force, for this great national celebration, to provide clear evidence that whenever the fate of the Romanian nation is at stake, the clergy and the faithful, as true sons of the nation, are one in thought and feeling, and are united in their national desires and aspirations’45

It is particularly significant that the clergy also made their presence felt in the organisation of the Assembly, which was entrusted to the Romanian National Party and the national guards in Alba Iulia. Thus, the Council, established on 4/20 November 1918, was chaired by Archpriest Ioan Teculescu, the future Bishop Justinian, and its members included the parish priest Florian Rusu, alongside lawyers, doctors, students, engineers and lieutenants 46. Contemporary sources indicate that Bishops Ioan I. Papp and Demetriu Radu of Oradea, and the venerable patriot Gheorghe Pop of Băsești, presided over the proceedings of the Great Assembly, which took place in the main hall of the Military Casino, in the presence of 1,228 delegates. Furthermore, it should not be overlooked that the five bishops, theology professors, archpriests and priests—47—were elected to the Grand National Council, comprising 212 members, with administrative and legislative responsibilities. Among the clergy from the Banat region were: Andrei Ghidiu and Petru Barbu from Caransebeș, Avram Corcea from Coștei, Ioanichie Neagoe, Ioan Roșiu from Ghilad and Deacon Avram Imbroane from Lugoj 48. The Governing Council (Provisional Government, based in Sibiu), elected on the morning of 2 December, also included the priest Vasile Lucaci, alongside Vasile Goldiș, Octavian Goga and others 49.

Reliable evidence allows us to say that among the speakers at the platforms set up on Horea’s Field were also ministers of the ancestral Church. The person who informed the people of the decisions taken by the assembly at Alba Iulia was Bishop Miron Cristea, who delivered a speech of great national significance, speaking of the sufferings of the Transylvanian Romanians and their struggle for freedom and unity, in which the clergy of the Church were also actively involved. Here are a few moving words: ‘The Romanian people have been present on the soil of their homeland for 2,000 years as a watchful and faithful guardian of Roman organisation and civilisation. Of all the evils that have befallen the Romanian people as a result of foreign rule, the worst was that they divided and fragmented us, they tore apart our ancestral faith and severed the canonical and natural ties of our Church with the Mother Church of our brothers across the border50”.

His speech was followed by that of the Greek-Catholic Bishop Iuliu Hossu of Gherla, who was also entrusted with the task of presenting the Act of Union to the tens of thousands of participants. Finally, amidst the cheers of those present, the hierarchs of the two Churches, clad in their sacred vestments, embraced one another under the tearful and enthusiastic gaze of the crowds, saying: “Just as you see us here embracing as brothers, so may all the brothers of Romania remain embraced for ever.” Eyewitnesses recounted that the embrace between the two hierarchs of the Romanian churches sparked endless cheers and ovations, so much so that people were moved to tears as they watched them 51. Taking an active part in this great celebration, Silviu Dragomir describes “Horea’s field as a hive of people. Above the northern wall, the crowd gathered around the makeshift stands in dense rows, beneath the tricolour flags fluttering in the air. It is a forest of flags, which seem to have sprung from the ground. And the assembled crowd waited in silence for the great moment. Occasionally a murmur of voices would rise, sweeping over the crowd like a lingering echo. The whole plateau seems to rise and expand under the weight of the ceaselessly surging human tide and under the weight of the most glorious deed, which awaits its re-enactment here52 On that same triumphant day of national will, solemn services were held in all the towns and villages of Transylvania, during which the clergy explained to the faithful the significance of the great event taking place in Alba Iulia 53.

As a crowning achievement of his fruitful work, it is well known that the Bishop of Caransebeș was also part of the four-person delegation that was to present the Act of Union of Alba Iulia to the Government on 14 December 1918. In front of the officials and the crowd of Bucharest residents who welcomed the Transylvanian envoys on the platform of Gara de Nord, he declared: ‘We, the Romanians from beyond the Carpathians, have often come here, we have trodden the sacred soil of our motherland many times. We have all come driven by a higher necessity, namely to renew our spirits and steel our hearts, so that we might more easily withstand the oppression that awaited us at home in the homeland of just yesterday and the day before […] With feelings of deep and everlasting gratitude for all you have done for us, as well as throughout the centuries past – beginning with Prince Stephen the Great (Diocese of Vad), Radu IV the Great (Diocese of Geoagiu), Mihai the Brave (Metropolis of Alba Iulia), Constantin Brâncoveanu and Carol I – we give thanks to the merciful God, for granting us, the generation of today, He has deemed worthy to experience the greatest days in the entire nearly 2,000-year history of our nation […] Long live, brothers, now freed by our motherland! Long live His Majesty King Ferdinand I, now King of all Romanians!”54

Also noteworthy is the speech by Vasile Goldiș, who, upon presenting the Act of Union to King Ferdinand, stated with deep emotion: “The union of all Romanians into a single state was bound to come to pass. It has been achieved through suffering and sacrifice. History is shaped by the laws of nature, which transcend all human power, but the object and means of these laws is the humble labourer. How fortunate we Romanians are that, through us, history is accomplishing the great act of uniting all Romanians into a single state; and how very fortunate that fortune has destined for the Romanian state the reign of a great king, who understood the sacred call of history and became the guiding star of the Romanian soul. For this reason, Sire, we offer you the land of our forefathers, but at the same time we also offer you the spirit of all Romanians of today, who live in Transylvania, the Banat and the Hungarian Country55”.

In this favourable atmosphere, at the ‘celebration of the union’ on 22 December, Bishop Miron Cristea delivered the keynote address on behalf of the entire clergy: “We have taken the momentous decision that we wish to unify our ancestral lands with the Motherland, so that we may prepare ourselves, from the peasant to the bishop, to make a united Romania a guardian of civilisation and progress”56.

As a natural consequence of these actions, Councillor Aurel Crăciunescu issued, on behalf of the Metropolis of Sibiu, an appeal to the clergy and the faithful, calling them to full unity. The centuries-old dream of the Romanian people was subsequently supported by Archpriest Vasile Gan, who proposed the establishment of a unified association of the Orthodox clergy, as well as by the leadership of the Astra association, through the signatures of Andrei Bârseanu, Silviu Dragomir, Ioan Lăpedatu and Victor Stanciu. For his part, Father Valerian Șesan, a lecturer at the Faculty of Theology in Chernivtsi, argued that the Churches in the annexed provinces should declare themselves integral parts of a single autocephalous Church. The idea was also supported by Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu of Moldova, who proposed that the work of unifying the church organisation should take place within a single, unified Romanian synod57.

Unfortunately, until the signing of the Treaty of Trianon on 4 March 1920, some regions with a predominantly Romanian population remained under foreign occupation. The situation was most dire in Banat, where priests and the faithful were subjected to arrests, deportations and beatings organised by Serbian troops. This was the case for Father Petrică from Nicolințul-Mare, Mărgineanu from Bârda, along with his wife and son, Popovici from the village of Șemlac, and Emil Stoian from Valea-Păii, who was taken to Bocșa and flogged by the Serbian lieutenant Misici 58.

With the aim of informing world public opinion and those attending the Paris Peace Conference about the rights of Romanians in this territory, the Banat League was formed in early 1919, led by the Orthodox deacon Avram Imbroane. A delegation, elected by the League, travelled to Bucharest and then to Paris to present to the Peace Conference a memorandum on our people’s rights to the territory inhabited by the people of Banat. Among the delegates we may mention the priest Ioan Sârbu from Rudăria, a well-known historian; university professor Iosif Popovici; the deacon Avram Imbroane; and Professor Constantin Nedelecu 59.

It is also significant that the Saxons of Transylvania subsequently endorsed the resolutions of the Alba Iulia Assembly on 8 January 1919, the Swabians of Banat on 10 August 1919, and the Jewish population of Transylvania as early as January 1918. The Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, followed by the separate treaty concluded with Hungary at Trianon, on 4 June 1912, merely served to enshrine a historical reality, namely the will expressed by the Romanian people at Alba Iulia, which was now receiving recognition from an international body, as noted by contemporary historians 60.

Meanwhile, in Romania, the work of Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu of Moldavia deserves special attention; he was ‘the heart and soul of the Union’, as reported in the newspaper Izbânda on 1 December 1920 61. He was to deliver a sermon in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași on 8 November 1918, in a vibrant and patriotic atmosphere, evoking the era of Mihai Viteazul: ‘Rare are the days when an entire nation, in exceptional circumstances, celebrates its heroes, just as we have gathered here today […] that such a celebration of gratitude for the heroes of old should take place before their earthly remains, as we have here in this princely reliquary the head of Mihai Viteazul, Prince of Muntenia, Moldavia and Transylvania […] On the altars of the ancestral churches he built, the light of cultural guidance and the flame of sacrifice for the nation have been kindled and kept alive’. Pointing out that the martyr of the Turda Plain remains the symbol of the Romanians’ national unity, he inspired all those present “so that in these momentous times, we may all hold our hearts high, spiritually prepared for the glorious day of the realisation of Greater Romania, as envisaged by the Romanian hero Mihai Viteazul”.

The yearning for unity among the Romanians of Bukovina—the worthy descendants of the free peasants of Stephen the Great and the Holy—prompted the Primate of the Moldavian Church to send, on 28 November 1918, to the Metropolitan of Bukovina, Vladimir Repta, a stirring message, brimming with the same patriotic fervour: ‘God is with us; let the nations that have oppressed us for centuries understand that justice has been done for us, and that our holy Bukovina, with the ancient Metropolis at Suceava and the glorious tomb at Putna, through God’s will and the voice of the clergy and the people, has been realised for ever in the Moldova of the great Stephen. Let us rejoice on this great day of the union of all the Romanian lands into a single state with a national Church that ever prays to God for the good and happiness of our nation”62

Living and fully sharing in the significance of our people’s struggle for union, his fatherly thoughts and words were also reflected with the same warmth in the pastoral letter written for 1 December 1918: “We are living in momentous times. The dream of our forefathers, the great Voivodes Mihai Viteazul and Ștefan cel Mare, of the union of all Romanians, has been fulfilled. Our country, Romania, emerged from the Great War enlarged to include all the lands inhabited by Romanians. On 27 March (/9 April – ed.) this year, through the free will of our brothers, gentle Bukovina was united with the Motherland; and on the 18th of this month (/1 December – ed.) the proud Transylvania, or the stately Ardeal, was united with it. This union came about as a just reward for the great sufferings and sacrifices endured by our Romanian people over the centuries, and especially in recent times, through their entry into the war…”. This pastoral letter, read in all the churches of the diocese on that day or on the following Sundays, called for the preservation of social order for the long term: “Know this, my children, that the enemies of our nation look on with envy at the greatness of our country and the unity of our people. Out of envy, they will seek to employ all their venomous schemes to embitter us and hinder our path to prosperity and strength. They have already begun to sow discord amongst the sons of our nation, urging them to forget their duties as good citizens, so that they may disobey authority, trample on good order, and follow in the footsteps of the Russian Bolsheviks, who, through strife and rebellion, have brought their own country to ruin”63

As the Primate Metropolitan Conon Arămescu Donici was unwell, Bishop Pimen was summoned to Bucharest to officiate, on 1 December 1918, at the great event marking the union of the provinces. Thus, after the Divine Liturgy, celebrated in the Metropolitan Cathedral to glorify the fulfilment of this great act of liberation and national unity, he was to deliver, in the presence of the royal family, the ambassadors of European countries and political figures, a short prayer, composed by himself, which concludes as follows: ‘Help us, Lord, that the justice of our nation, for which our forefathers fought with sacrifices and suffering over the centuries, may be fulfilled, and that we may soon see the complete union of all our Romanian brothers in a single country – Greater Romania, under the reign of our most exalted King Ferdinand I, may it endure for ever, for this is what our forefathers desired, fighting valiantly in defence of the law and the homeland, under the leadership of the voivodes Mihai Viteazul and Ștefan cel Mare’64

A few days after this momentous act took place, the Metropolitan of Moldavia delivered a speech in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași, following the Te Deum, from which we quote the following words: “We are living through the greatest days that any nation is destined to experience. Our forefathers beheld these days as though in a dream, and we have been granted the privilege of seeing and living through them. The grandeur and splendour of such days are forged in the lives of nations through struggles and sacrifices springing from the national conscience […] Now there is a call for greater fairness, more rights for the people in public life, more social improvements, more work on everyone’s part, and more enlightenment for all’65

Whilst the voice of Bishop Miron Cristea of Iași resounded in the citadel of Mihai Viteazul, the voice of Pimen could be heard as he sent a telegram to the Orthodox Metropolis of Transylvania, in which he stated: “Blessed be the God of our fathers, who has helped us to see with our own eyes the great day of the union of all Romanians in a Greater Romania, forming a single state with a National Orthodox Church for which our forefathers fought and sacrificed themselves’66. Of particular significance are his testimonies, recorded in a document from the metropolitan archives, concerning the events he witnessed: “There is no greater sin in the world than to invoke the name of God whilst waging an unjust war, with the intention of enslaving humanity and enthroning injustice”67.

With regard to Metropolitan Conon’s work, it is worth noting that he supported and defended our national rights with self-sacrifice and courage, warmly embracing the turmoil and anxieties of our people during those times. Although he was advanced in years, ‘he never missed an opportunity to affirm the need to fulfil the national ideal’, as Nicolae Iorga states. The German occupation brought him great hardship, as he was attacked by the Brăila Command Headquarters’ newspaper for having called for entry into the war in order to realise the national ideal. In an article published in this newspaper, entitled ‘A Warlike Metropolitan’, he was criticised and accused of the fact that ‘in the effort to sway public opinion in favour of the war, the Primate Metropolitan of Ungrovlahia played an almost predominant role […] This bad example, setting the tone from the very top, had a disastrous effect on the entire clergy, from top to bottom. Priests neglected the church, their service times often coinciding with those of meetings; on many occasions, the altar itself served as a platform for war propaganda […] The Metropolitan knew all this and encouraged it”.

Among the hierarchs who suffered at the hands of the occupying forces was Sofronie Vulpescu of Râmnic, who, because of his patriotic conduct, was arrested on 19 May 1917 and imprisoned first at Cheia Monastery in Prahova, then at Ialomicioara Cave, where he endured deprivation and great suffering. Following repeated interventions by the church authorities, he was transferred to Căldărușani Monastery, where he remained until 1918, when he was released68ly.

Of course, viewed as a whole, the Union of 1 December 1918—for which so many generations of priests had fought for centuries—also had beneficial consequences for the Romanian Orthodox Church. Thus, on 18/31 December 1919, Bishop Miron Cristea was elected to the vacant see of Metropolitan Primate of Romania; he went on to become the first Patriarch of our Church 69 in 1925, in 1920, the Diocese of Oradea was established; in 1921, the Diocese of the Army was established in Alba Iulia; in 1924, the Dioceses of Vad and Feleac were re-established, with their seat in Cluj, and on 21 October 1948, 70 was restored, when ‘the Romanian priests and faithful of Transylvania, coming down from the two foreign churches, joined hands in brotherhood before the same altar of the ancestral Orthodox Church’71.

All these facts show us how the ancestral Church understood its duty towards the nation at pivotal moments in history, but also during the moments of spiritual exaltation on 1 December 1918. Those mentioned here are but a fraction of the many who, through their deeds and often through their very lives, laid the foundations for the Union at Alba Iulia. They may serve as a fine example to today’s ministers of the holy altars, a living example of devotion and self-sacrifice for their flock, of love for their nation and country, in the service of the higher interests of the people and the Fatherland.

Therefore, in attempting to draw a conclusion to this brief account, I consider the words spoken with admiration by Nicolae Iorga in the country’s Senate to be most fitting: ‘The monks of yesteryear from Blaj and elsewhere, those poor bearers of books from village to village, those who sat in the pews and worshipped God, those who, before the children, taught them the gospel of the nation—the poor and barefoot members of the Romanian intelligentsia—it was they who paved the way for today’s union’72

• 1

  Fr. Mircea PĂCURARIU, ‘The Great Union’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church, vol. CI (1983), no. 11–12, pp. 848–849 (hereafter cited as BOR); THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE JOURNAL OF THE METROPOLIS OF MOLDOVA AND SUCEAVA, ‘Five Decades Since the Union of Transylvania with the Country. 1 December 1918–1 December 1968’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, vol. I, Basilica Publishing House, Bucharest, 2018, p. 211; Rev. Scarlat PORCESCU, ‘Contributions made by clergy from the Archdiocese of Iași, between 1916 and 1918, towards the establishment of the unified Romanian nation-state’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, vol. II, Basilica Publishing House, Bucharest, 2018, pp. 115–116.

• 2

  Prof. Nicu OCTAVIAN, ‘The Role of the Clergy of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the People’s Struggles for Social Justice and National Independence’, in Glasul Bisericii, vol. XXXVII (1978), no. 1–2, pp. 139–153 (hereafter cited as GB); † NICOLAE, Metropolitan of Transylvania, ‘The Union of Transylvania with Romania’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, I, p. 165.

• 3

  Rev. Prof. Dr Mircea PĂCURARIU, Sermons for Sundays and Feasts, for the Imperial Feasts and those of the Mother of God, of the Saints and of the Romanian Saints; Occasional Sermons and Funeral Sermons, Published by the Biblical and Missionary Institute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bucharest, 2000, pp. 520–521; Rev. Mircea PĂCURARIU, History of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Basilica Publishing House, Bucharest, 2013, pp. 471–473; † DANIEL, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, ‘Victory through sacrifice. Dignity through union. Servants of the Church on the front line and at the Great Union of 1918’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, I, p. 8; † Nifon PLOIEȘTEANUL, ‘The 70th Anniversary of Transylvania’s Union with the Motherland. The Contribution of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the Achievement of the Great Union”, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, II, p. 215.

• 4

  Rev. Prof. Mircea PĂCURARIU, ‘The Church’s Contribution to the Realisation of the Act of Union of 1 December 1918’, in BOR, vol. CXVI (1978), no. 11–12, p. 1255.

• 5

  Alexandru MORARU, The Romanian Orthodox Church between 1885 and 2000. Church. Nation. Culture, vol. III, part I, Published by the Biblical and Missionary Institute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bucharest, 2006, p. 574.

• 6

  † Dr Nestor VORNICESCU, Metropolitan of Oltenia, Studies in Historical Theology – an anthology, Oltenia Metropolitanate Press, Craiova, 1998, pp. 152–153.

• 7

  Gh. VASILESCU, ‘Metropolitan Gurie Grosu’, in BOR, vol. CXI (1993), nos. 10–12, pp. 100–102.

• 8

  I. LUPAȘ, The History of the Union of the Romanians, published by the ‘Prince Carol’ Royal Cultural Foundation, Bucharest, 1937, p. 365; Alexandru MORARU, The Church…, p. 577; Adrian IGNAT, The Church’s Contribution to the Great Union of 1 December 1918, Universitară Publishing House, Bucharest, 2011, p. 260; Ioan SCURTU, Documents on the History of Romania between 1918 and 1944, Didactică și Pedagogică Publishing House, Bucharest, 1995, pp. 8–9.

• 9

  Ioan SCURTU, Alba Iulia, 1 December 1918, Sport-Turism Publishing House, Bucharest, 1988, p. 104; Alexandru MORARU, The Church…, p. 578; Adrian IGNAT, The Church’s Contribution…, pp. 261–262; Rev. Niculae ȘERBĂNESCU, ‘1 December – Romania’s National Day. 75 years since the Great Union of the Romanians”, in BOR, vol. CXI (1993), nos. 10–12, pp. 77–78.

• 10

  Ilie ȘANDRU, Valentin BORDA, A Name for History – Patriarch Elie Miron Cristea, Petru Maior Publishing House, Târgu-Mureș, 1998, p. 109.

• 11

  I. D. LĂUDAT, ‘The Unification of Romanians from Beyond the Mountains with the Motherland (1 December 1918). As recalled by contemporaries and the press of the time’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, II, p. 89.

• 12

  Rev. Prof. Ion IONESCU, ‘Measures taken by the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania to consolidate the Great Union of 1 December 1918’, in GB, vol. XLIII (1984), no. 5–6, p. 390, note 10.

• 13

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Contribution of the Church…, p. 1260; Ștefan ALEXE, ‘The Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia – 1 December 1918 –’, in BOR, vol. CI (1983), no. 11–12, p. 860.

• 14

  THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH MAGAZINE, ‘Fifty Years Since the Union of Transylvania with Romania. The Contribution of the Romanian Clergy to the Romanian People’s Struggle for National Freedom and Unity’, in BOR, vol. LXXXVI (1968), nos. 11–12, p. 1338; Fr. I. IONESCU, ‘The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Union of Transylvania with Romania’, in Mitropolia Olteniei, vol. XX (1968), nos. 11–2, p. 898 (hereafter cited as MO); Ion POPESCU-PUȚURI, Augustin DEAC, The Union of Transylvania with Romania. 1 December 1918, 2nd ed., Bucharest, 1972, p. 569; Adrian IGNAT, The Contribution of the Church…, pp. 264.

• 15

  *** ‘The Romanian Bishops’ Adherence to the Romanian National Council’, in Biserica și Școala, vol. XLII (1918), 18 November, no. 47; Rev. Prof. Dr Alexandru MORARU, ‘The Participation of the Romanian Clergy in Transylvania in the Events of 1848 and 1918’, in Studii Teologice, vol. XXXIX (1987), no. 1, pp. 111–112; Adrian IGNAT, The Contribution of the Church…, pp. 262–263; Rev. Gheorghe LIȚIU, ‘The Prayer at Alba Iulia’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, Vol. I, p. 51.

• 16

  Ion CLOPOȚEL, ‘Glimpses of the Banat people’s struggle for national unity in 1918–1919’, in Mitropolia Banatului, vol. XVIII (1968), nos. 1–3, p. 60 (hereafter cited as MB).

• 17

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 1260.

• 18

  Teodor NADABAN, ‘The events of 1918 as reflected in the religious press of Banat’, in MB, vol. XVIII (1968), nos. 10–12, p. 682.

• 19

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 1260; Alexandru MORARU, The Clergy’s Participation…, pp. 111–112.

• 20

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, Studies in the History of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Vol. II, Romanian Academy Press, Bucharest, 2009, p. 85.

• 21

  EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE JOURNAL THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, Fifty Years…, pp. 1338–1339; Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Contribution of the Church…, pp. 1260–1261; Rev. Prof. Mircea PĂCURARIU, ‘Metropolitan Nicolae Bălan of Transylvania – 100 years since his birth –’ in BOR, vol. C (1982), nos. 5–6, p. 497. Alexandru MORARU, The Romanian Orthodox Church…, p. 580; Adrian IGNAT, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 264.

• 22

  Ștefan ALEXE, The Grand National Assembly…, p. 861.

• 23

  EDITORIAL BOARD OF THE JOURNAL THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH, Fifty Years…, p. 1339; Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Contribution of the Church…, p. 1260; Mircea PĂCURARIU, Metropolitan Nicolae Bălan of Transylvania…, p. 497.

• 24

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, Metropolitan Nicolae Bălan of Transylvania…, p. 497.

• 25

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, Studies in History…, p. 86.

• 26

  Șt. PASCU, ‘The Assembly at Alba Iulia, 1 December 1918’, in Unity and Continuity in the History of the Romanian People, edited by Prof. D. BERCIU, Publishing House of the Academy of the Socialist Republic of Romania, Bucharest, 1968, p. 410.

• 27

  T. N. M. ‘Silviu Dragomir, a champion of the unification of the nation-state’, in MO, vol. XX (1968), nos. 11–12, pp. 951–954.

• 28

  Fr Petrică TIMIȘ-POPOVICI, ‘Archpriest Andrei Ghidiu, a distinguished minister and man of culture’, in Ziarul Lumina, 5 September 2015, http://ziarullumina.ro/protopopul-andrei-ghidiu-distins-slujitor-si-om-de-cultura-104997.html, accessed on 4 June 2018.

• 29

  Teodor NADABAN, The Events of 1918…, pp. 681–682.

• 30

  Ilie ȘANDRU, Valentin BORDA, A Name for History…, p. 107.

• 31

  Ion POPESCU-PUȚURI, Augustin DEAC, Unirea…, pp. 569–570; Adrian IGNAT, Aportul Bisericii…, pp. 264–265.

• 32a32b

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 1261.

• 33

  † Nifon PLOIEȘTEANUL, ‘70th Anniversary…’, p. 216.

• 34

  Aurel COSMA, ‘The Romanian Church in Banat and the Union of Alba Iulia’ in MB, vol. XVIII (1968), nos. 10–12, pp. 605–606.

• 35

  Prof. Nicolae GHINEA, ‘Priest Avram Imbroane, a Banat activist for the Union of 1 December 1918’, in BOR, vol. CXVI (1978), no. 11–12, pp. 1314–1316.

• 36

  Dr Mircea PĂCURARIU, ‘The clergy of Hunedoara: supporters of the people’s aspirations through the centuries’, in MB, vol. XVIII (1968), nos. 10–12, p. 637.

• 37

  † Dr Nestor VORNICESCU, The Fulfilment of Our National Unity – The Foundation of the Unity of the Ancient Church, Published by the Metropolitanate of Oltenia, Craiova, 1988, p. 551.

• 38

  † Antonie PLĂMĂDEALĂ, ‘American Romanians Anticipate the 1918 Union’, in BOR, vol. CXVI (1978), no. 11–12, pp. 1302–1305.

• 39

  Nestor VORNICESCU, The Fulfilment of Unity…, p. 552.

• 40

  Aurel COSMA, The Romanian Church…, pp. 602–603; Rev. Gheorghe LIȚIU, ‘The Prayer of Alba Iulia’, in MB, vol. XVIII (1968), nos. 10–12, pp. 683–687.

• 41

  Gheorghe VASILESCU, The Great Union of 1918…, pp. 203–204.

• 42

  Ilie ȘANDRU, Valentin BORDA, A Name for History…, pp. 111–113; † DANIEL, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Victory through Sacrifice…, p. 9.

• 43

  Fr. Alexandru M. IONIȚĂ, ‘The Great Union of 1 December 1918 – 70 years since the establishment of the unitary Romanian nation-state’, in BOR, vol. CVI (1988), nos. 11–12, p. 131; Gheorghe VASILESCU, ‘The Great Union of 1918’, in BOR, vol. CXXI (2003), nos. 7–12, p. 203.

• 44

  Ștefan PASCU, The Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia: The Culmination of the Ideas, Trends and Struggles for the Unity of the Romanian People, Cluj, 1968, p. 376; Ștefan ALEXE, The Great National Assembly…, p. 863.

• 45

  Ștefan ALEXE, The Grand National Assembly…, p. 865.

• 46

  Vasile NETEA, A Day in the History of Transylvania – 1 December 1918 –, Țara Noastră Publishing House, Bucharest, 1990, pp. 122–123; Adrian IGNAT, The Contribution of the Church…, p. 273.

• 47

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 1261; Adrian IGNAT, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 275.

• 48

  Aurel COSMA, The Romanian Church…, p. 610.

• 49

  Niculae ȘERBĂNESCU, 1 December…, p. 81; Gheorghe VASILESCU, The Great Union of 1918…, p. 206.

• 50

  Teodor NADABAN, The Events of 1918…, p. 682; Ioan SCURTU, Alba Iulia…, pp. 150–151.

• 51

  Ilie ȘANDRU, Valentin BORDA, A Name for History…, p. 118; Adrian IGNAT, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 277 (Just as we embrace one another now, so may all Romanians everywhere embrace one another).

• 52

  Ștefan PASCU, The Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia…, p. 380.

• 53

  Adrian IGNAT, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 278.

• 54

  Ilie ȘANDRU, Valentin BORDA, A Name for History…, pp. 120–121.

• 55

  † Eftimie LUCA, ‘Orthodox Clergy of the Diocese of Roman and Huși in the War of 1916–1918’, in BOR, vol. CXVI (1978), no. 11–12, p. 1265; Alexandru MORARU, The Romanian Orthodox Church…, pp. 582–583.

• 56

  Fr. Milan ȘESAN, ‘The Ecclesiastical Unification of 1918 as an Act to Strengthen the Political Unity of the Romanian State’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, I, p. 191.

• 57

  Milan ȘESAN, Ecclesiastical Unification…, pp. 190–191.

• 58

  Dr Florin SALVAN, Dr Alexandru Vaida Voevod, Correspondence 1918–1919, ed. Transilvania Expres, Brașov, 2001, p. 170; Adrian IGNAT, The Contribution of the Church…, p. 277, note 501.

• 59

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Church’s Contribution…, p. 1262.

• 60

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Great Union…, p. 857.

• 61

  Nicolae PINTILIE, Pimen Georgescu, the Metropolitan of the Great Union, 30 November 2015, https://doxologia.ro/viata-bisericii/documentar/pimen-georgescu-mitropolitul-marii-uniri, accessed 3 June 2018.

• 62

  † TEOCTIST, Archbishop and Metropolitan, ‘Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu, supporter of the Struggle for the integrity and unity of the nation’, in Mitropolia Moldovei și Sucevei, vol. LIX (1983), nos. 10–12, pp. 519–520.

• 63

  Aurel PENTELESCU, Gavriil PREDA, Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu. His Life and Achievements (1853–1934). On the 150th anniversary of his birth, Printeuro Publishing House, Ploiești, 2003, p. 133; Father NIFON, Pimen Georgescu, Metropolitan of Moldavia, https://www.crestinortodox.ro/parinti/pimen-georgescu-mitropolitul-moldovei-144416.html, accessed on 3 June 2018.

• 64

  † TEOCTIST, Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu…, p. 520; Scarlat PORCESCU, Contributions to…, p. 155; see also Father NIFON, Pimen Georgescu, Metropolitan of Moldavia, https://www.crestinortodox.ro/parinti/pimen-georgescu-mitropolitul-moldovei-144416.html, accessed on 3 June 2018.

• 65

  Scarlat PORCESCU, Contributions to …, p. 156.

• 66

  † TEOCTIST, Metropolitan Pimen Georgescu…, p. 521; Scarlat PORCESCU, Contributions to…, p. 155.

• 67

  Scarlat PORCESCU, Contributions to…, p. 158.

• 68

  Gheorghe VASILESCU, ‘On the sufferings of our Church in the temporarily occupied territory (1916–1918)’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, Vol. II, p. 215.

• 69

  Mircea PĂCURARIU, The Church’s Contribution…, pp. 1251, 1262–1623.

• 70

  Alexandru MORARU, Participation…, p. 114.

• 71

  Rev. Prof. Dr Grigorie MARCU, ‘Vox populi vox Dei’, in Mitropolia Ardealului, vol. XIII (1968), nos. 9–10, p. 652, note 14.

• 72

  see † TEOCTIST, Archbishop of Iași and Metropolitan of Moldavia and Suceava, ‘A glorious day, an uplifting day’, in The Romanian Orthodox Church and the Great Union, II, p. 167, quoted in Nicolae IORGA, Documents from the Senate, Bucharest, 1918, p. 52.