Sunday marked 35 years since the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate’s re-establishment under the Romanian Patriarchate’s jurisdiction.
Following the fall of the atheist communist regime, Orthodox Ukrainians in Romania sought the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Church to reinstate the Ukrainian Vicariate, which had been dissolved by the communist authorities in 1952.
The initiative was led by 15 Ukrainian priests from Maramureș, organized under the Ukrainian Orthodox Deanery based in Ruscova.
With the blessing of the Archdiocese of Cluj, a formal request dated January 12, 1990, and signed by all 15 priests, including Dean Ioan Pițura, was presented to the Holy Synod on February 12, 1990.
As a result, on March 16, 1990, the Holy Synod’s Chancellery issued official act No. 1432, reestablishing the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate. The document was signed on behalf of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens by Metropolitan Nicolae of Banat and Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Nifon of Ploiești.
The Vicariate was placed directly under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate, as it had been between 1948 and 1952. The act also confirmed the right of Ukrainian parishes within the dioceses of Cluj, Timișoara, Iași, and Oradea to be part of the Vicariate.
Preserving Ukrainian Identity
Today, the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate represents Romania’s most prominent Ukrainian community.
“Just as Romanian Orthodox parishes and monasteries in the diaspora play a crucial role in preserving the ethnic identity of Romanians abroad, so do the parishes and monasteries of the Vicariate in safeguarding the ethnolinguistic identity of Ukrainians in Romania,” emphasized General Vicar Father Nicolae Lauruc.
This assertion is supported by data from the most recent census (2021), which shows that in areas where the Vicariate has parishes and monasteries, the percentage of Ukrainians who use Ukrainian as their native language is significantly high: Maramureș (99%) and Timiș (88%). In contrast, in other regions where Orthodox Ukrainians are not part of the Vicariate, the percentage of those who declared Ukrainian as their mother tongue is considerably lower: Suceava (73%), Botoșani (72%), and Tulcea (36%).
“We Are Deeply Grateful to the Romanian Orthodox Church”
“In the face of the risk of assimilation, the only Ukrainian entity making an effective effort, with the blessing of the Romanian Patriarchate, is the Vicariate,” added Father Nicolae Lauruc.
“I hope that this mission—to cultivate Orthodox faith among our people while preserving their ethnolinguistic identity—will be valued and carried forward by future generations.”
“We are profoundly grateful to the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian authorities for their essential support in this endeavour. We believe that the mere existence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate enriches our country both culturally and spiritually,” concluded the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate.
Photo: Facebook / Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate
