Relațiile dintre Biserica Antiohiană și Biserica Ortodoxă Română în secolul al XX-lea
The Relationships between the Antiochian Church and the Romanian Orthodox Church in the 20th Century

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the relationship between the two Orthodox Churches during the 20th century – a period in which their ecclesial ties were renewed and actively supported. In the interwar years, one of the key figures in this endeavour was Metropolitan Visarion Puiu, who, with the blessing of the Patriarchs, initiated dialogues, cultural and educational exchanges between Syrians and Romanians, including the offering of study scholarships. One such scholarship recipient was the Syrian Emil Murakade, who, upon arriving in Bucharest, accompanied delegations as a translator. During the communist era, official visits continued, notably through the involvement of the Syrian archimandrite Vasile Samaha, later bishop of Sergiopolis. In 1958, he presented the Romanian Patriarchate with a gift from the Church of Antioch: an icon of the Mother of God – „The Syriac”, now venerated at Ghigiu Monastery. Antiochian Church officials also participated in the enthronements of Romanian Patriarchs. The final decade of the 20th century witnessed a fraternal visit on the occasion of the re-consecration of St. Spiridon – Vechi church in 1996, where Patriarch Teoctist concelebrated with Patriarch Ignatius IV. The article concludes with a brief excursus on the relationship between Elder Sofian of Antim and Father Emil Murakade in Damascus during the 1970s-1980s.

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