Justinian Marina - Achievements As Patriarch

Achievements As Patriarch

Despite many difficulties, during the 29 years of Justinian's reign, a series of events and changes took place which greatly raised the prestige of Romanian Orthodoxy in the Christian world and made him a representative figure for all of Orthodoxy.

On October 19–20, 1948, the Holy Synod approved the Statute that determined the organisation and functioning of the Romanian Orthodox Church; henceforth there would be just five metropolitanates, with thirteen suffragan dioceses, to which were added two Romanian dioceses for the diaspora.

In 1950 the Holy Synod decided, for the first time, to canonize several Romanian hierarchs, monks and pious believers, and to generalize the cult of certain saints whose relics are found in Romania. Their solemn canonization took place in 1955.

He created a nursing home for elderly priests and monks (Dealu) and for elderly nuns and priests' wives (Viforâta). In 1948, Orthodox theological education was reorganised along lines that would last until 1989: two university-level theological institutes existed (at Bucharest and Sibiu), as well as six theological seminaries (at Bucharest, Buzău, Neamţ Monastery, Cluj, Craiova and Caransebeş).

He maintained links with the other Orthodox churches and with other Christian churches. At the head of synodal delegations, he visited the following Orthodox churches: Russian (several times), Georgian (1948), Serbian (1957), Bulgarian (1953, 1966 and 1971), the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (1968), the Churches of Alexandria (1971) and Jerusalem (1975) and the Church of Greece (1963, 1971 and 1975).

He began relations with Oriental Orthodox churches, through reciprocal visits. Justinian travelled to the Armenian Patriarchate at Echmiadzin (1958 and 1966), to the Ethiopian Church (1969 and 1971), to the Coptic Church (1969 and 1971) and to the Indian Orthodox Church (1969). Relations were begun and maintained with a number of national Roman Catholic Churches, some visited by Justinian at the head of synodal delegations: Austria (1969), Germany (1970) and Belgium (1972), with the Old Catholic Church and the Church of England (1966).

In return, delegations from all these churches visited Patriarch Justinian and his church. In 1961 the Romanian Orthodox Church re-entered the World Council of Churches and has since participated in other ecumenical organisations, such as the Conference of European Churches.

Patriarch Justinian published 12 volumes entitled Apostolat social ("Social Apostolate", Bucharest, 1948–76), containing all his pastoral letters, speeches and articles. New church periodicals appeared, or old ones continued to be published: Biserica Ortodoxă Română (from 1874), Ortodoxia, Studii Teologice, Glasul Bisericii (of the Metropolitanate of Ungro-Vlachia), Mitropolia Moldovei şi Sucevei, Mitropolia Ardealului, Mitropolia Olteniei, Mitropolia Banatului and a series of periodicals edited by Romanian Orthodox communities abroad.

The synodal Bible was re-edited, in two editions (1968 and 1975); the New Testament; all devotional books, each in multiple editions; nearly all textbooks needed for higher and seminarial theological education; and there appeared a series of theological or historic works written by bishops, professors of theology, and priests, as well as doctoral theses.

During Justinian's reign, 302 new churches were built, 2345 others were repaired or restored. Of these, 999 were historic monuments, and of these 128 were monasteries, sketes and other monastic communities. The new churches were painted as well, while a further 271 churches had their paintings restored.