Bishop Antin Nica and His Attitude concerning the Relationship between the State and the Church in Communist Romania
Abstract
The relationship between the State and the Church in communist Romania unveils itself as a rough and difficult topic. Until now, this relationship has been studied only according to the official documents. Nevertheless, when the access to the archives of the ex-Securitate was opened to the public, this relationship may be approached in a new perspective. The tradition of the church obedience in its dealings with the communist State, triggered by the Byzantine background, was substituted by a complex reality, within theb boundaries of which human personalities and accidents of history play an important part. The discovery of information in the personal file of Bishop Antim Nica, in the archives of the Securitate, brings testimony about the anti-communist feelings of the Romanian Eastern-Orthodox bishop. These feelings reveal their attitude towards the communist totalitarian regime and state loud and clear the difference and incompatibility between the Christian religion and the communist doctrine.