Chancellery of the Holy Synod Unveils Rigorous Canonical Measures Against Corruption in the Romanian Orthodox Church

Basilica News– OCP News Service – 02/12/2023

Bucharest-Romania: The Chancellery of the Holy Synod sent a statement on December 02,2023, listing the canonical measures against corruption applicable in the Romanian Orthodox Church.

“In the Romanian Orthodox Church, according to the teaching of faith and canonical discipline, corruption acts or attempts are not justified under any circumstances, and for those involved in such acts or attempts, clear sanctions are provided canonically, by statute and by regulation, which are applied by the canonical disciplinary authorities or the courts of the Romanian Orthodox Church”, the statement states.

Full text:

Canonical measures against corruption

1. Measures concerning ordination and appointment to parishes

Our Savior Jesus Christ clearly taught us that “no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to one and despise the other; you cannot serve God and mammon” ( Matthew 6, 24). However, since its beginnings, the Church faced the temptation of corruption embodied in the desire of Simon the Magus, who wanted to buy the grace of the priesthood with money (cf. Acts 8, 18-24) . This attempt to buy grace was immediately condemned in very harsh and categorical terms by the Holy Apostle Peter, who answered Simon the Magus thus: “Let your money be with you to destruction!” Because you considered that the gift of God is agonizing with money . You have no part, no inheritance in this calling, because your heart is not right before God. So repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to God, only the conscience of your heart will be forgiven ” (Acts 8, 20-22). Since then, any act or attempted corruption in the Church has been called simony after the name of the one who first tried to buy the grace of the priesthood with money .

At the same time, the Church categorically condemned any act or attempt at simony , formulating clear canons ( pastoral rules ) in this sense, which were synodally approved as having universal validity. By apostolic canon 29 it was established that, ” if any bishop, priest or deacon acquires this dignity through money, let him and the one who ordained him repent, and be completely removed from communion, like Simon the Magus by Peter “ . In the same way, the sanctioning of simony (corruption) is provided in canon 90 of Saint Basil the Great, in canon 1 of Saint Gennady of Constantinople and in canon 1 of Saint Tarasius of Constantinople. Therefore, the canons of the Church severely punish all those involved in acts of corruption, because corruption directly and seriously damages the life of the Church and society in general . This way of severely sanctioning corruption is regulated in detail in canon 2 of the IV Ecumenical Synod of the year 451, in canons 22 and 23 of the Trulan Synod of the year 692, as well as in canons 4 and 5 of the VII Ecumenical Synod of the year 787.

In the Statute for the organization and operation of the Romanian Orthodox Church, it was established that “priests and deacons are recruited from doctors, master’s graduates and graduates of theology faculties, specializing in Pastoral Theology , who have passed the exam of priestly capacity” (art. 123 par. 1) , and that they “are appointed to the parish by the Chiriarch, in a meeting of the Permanence of the Diocesan Council , in compliance with the statutory provisions and church regulations” (art. 123 par. 2). It was also established that “appointment and transfer of priests and deacons to parishes are done by competition” (art. 123 par. 3) and that, “in order to be appointed, candidates for the positions of priest and deacon must meet the conditions canonical, statutory and regulatory” (art. 123 par. 4).

Based on the canonical, statutory and regulatory provisions, as well as synodal decisions, in the meeting of July 21, 2011, the Holy Synod approved the Guide (Directorate) on the appointment and transfer of clergy in parishes (synodal decision no. 5404/2011), which establishes in detail the method of establishing clerical positions and their occupation and which must be applied in every parish.

2. Donation measures

Statutory and regulatory provisions state that donations made to the Church must be recorded by the person in charge of the place of worship accepting the donation and then be accounted for, and that the donor has no rights over the place of worship to which he gives a donation .

In this sense, in the Statute for the organization and operation of the Romanian Orthodox Church , it was established that, ” in the monastery, hermitage or monastery given into use by consecration, none of the founders, donors and benefactors has any right of ownership, use or interference in the management , their administration and spiritual life ” (art. 75 par. 3). In the Regulation on the Administration of Church Assets it is clearly stated that ” donations of any kind and legacies are accepted only if they are of real benefit to church units ” (art. 4 paragraph 1), then indicating in detail the procedure to be followed in such situations, as well as church bodies, which can approve the acceptance of donations (art. 4 par. 2-4 and art. 5).

In addition, in the meeting of February 17, 2012, the Holy Synod decided that, “from the moment of entry into monasticism or the bishopric, monks and hierarchs can no longer receive donations in their personal name, but only for the monastery or diocese in which they work ” (point 4 of synodal decision no. 945/2012).

3. Corruption sanctions

Regarding those who do not respect the canonical, statutory and regulatory provisions, nor the synodal decisions regarding the appointment and ordination of clerics, the Regulation of the canonical disciplinary authorities and courts of the Romanian Orthodox Church specifies the following:

• ” Simony ( corruption ) is the act by which, in exchange for values ​​(money, goods or advantages), or through friendship, nepotism, political influences or pressures and of any nature, an ordination, diocese, parish, position, distinction or clerical advancement, as well as admission, grading, graduation or promotion in pre-university, university and postgraduate theological education ” (art. 15 par. 1);
• ” Simoniac is both the one who claims or imposes the bribe or the undue benefit, as well as the one who offers, accepts, mediates or patronizes them ” (art. 15 par. 2);
• Simonia ( corruption ) is sanctioned as follows:
  1. 1. in the case of clerics , with dismissal from clerical service or excommunication , depending on the seriousness of the act (art. 5 paragraph 1 letter a);
     2. in the case of the laity , by withdrawing the chiriarchal blessing (written approval) to carry out a certain activity in the Church (art. 5 par. 1 letter b);
     3. in the case of monks , with the exclusion from monasticism and the prohibition to wear monastic robes (art. 5 par. 1 letter c).

Therefore, in the Romanian Orthodox Church, according to the teaching of faith and canonical discipline, corruption acts or attempts are not justified in any way, and for those involved in such acts or attempts, clear sanctions are provided canonically, by statute and by regulation, which applied by the canonical disciplinary authorities or the courts of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Of course, the application of canonical measures and sanctions regarding corruption depends primarily on the conscience and character of the hierarchs, clergy and laity with responsibilities in church administration.

Chancellery of the Holy Synod

Source: Basilica News