Iustin Moisescu
Encyclopedia
Iustin Moisescu was Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
from 1977 to 1986.
. He studied at the war orphans’ seminary in Câmpulung-Muscel from 1922 to 1930, finishing with top honours. Patriarch Miron Cristea
selected him alone, of all 1930 seminary graduates, to receive a scholarship and take his licentiate in theology at the University of Athens
. In 1934, he returned to Romania, having received a degree “arista” (magna cum laude).
Cristea, following Moisescu’s progress, sent him (upon the recommendation of the University of Athens and of the Romanian Embassy in Greece) to continue his advanced studies at the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology at the Université des Sciences Humaines
in Strasbourg
. After two years in France (1934-36), having obtained material for his doctoral thesis, he returned to Athens in 1936. The following year he obtained his doctorate with the Greek-language
thesis “Evagrius Ponticus. Life, writings and teachings”, which received an award from the Athens Academy of Sciences. He then took equivalence examinations at the University of Bucharest
’s Faculty of Theology.
There followed a quick succession of professorates, with rapid promotion: Professor of Latin
at Bucharest’s Nifon Seminary (1937-38); New Testament Professor at the University of Warsaw
’s Faculty of Orthodox Theology (1938-39), where he replaced the celebrated professor Nicolae Arseniev. In Warsaw
, he established the following Polish-language
courses: “General and specific introduction to the holy books of the New Testament”; “Exegesis of Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians
”; and “Exegesis of the prologue to the Gospel of John
”. These courses were examined by professors Milan Şesan and Vladimir Prelipceanu, who “determined their scientific and didactic value, as well as their full harmony with the teachings of the Orthodox Church”.
In 1940, he was named associate professor. In 1942, after an examination, he was named Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the Cernăuţi
-Suceava
Faculty of Theology. At Cernăuţi and Suceava he created three more courses: “Introduction to the holy books of the New Testament”, “Exegesis” and “Biblical hermeneutics
”. About his Romanian-language
writings, the same report notes that “The author’s form of expression in Romanian is distinguished by conciseness and clarity”. In 1946 he was transferred as professor to the same department at the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest; in 1948, he began teaching at the Bucharest Theological Institute. During his time as a theology professor, he published a number of specialised works.
n: witness Photius
’ elevation to Patriarch of Constantinople from general, Ambrose
becoming Bishop of Milan
from civil administrator, professor Nicolae Bălan becoming Metropolitan of Transylvania, etc. On February 23, 1956, Vicar Bishop Teoctist Arăpaşu
ordained him deacon; the next day, the other Patriarchal Vicar Bishop, Antim Nica, ordained him priest, and on February 26, the National Church Council, gathered in electoral college according to its statute’s provisions, elected him Archbishop of Sibiu
and Metropolitan of Transylvania. He replaced the eminent and recently-deceased Nicolae Bălan.
He then spent ten days in meditation before asking God to receive him into the ranks of the monks at Cernica Monastery on March 8, 1956. Already elected metropolitan, on March 15, 1956 Patriarch Justinian
, Metropolitan Firmilian of Oltenia
and Bishop Nicolae Colan of Cluj
ordained him into the episcopate. Three days later, in the Sibiu Metropolitan Cathedral
, he was given Andrei Şaguna
’s crozier. During his short stay in Sibiu, among other activities, he founded the theological magazine Mitropolia Ardealului (nr. 1-2, Sep-Oct 1956) in place of the defunct Revista teologică.
Before Moisescu’s election as Metropolitan of Transylvania, Patriarch Justinian, in a long, meaningful and well-considered speech before the electoral college, described thus the candidate who should be elected: “There we will have to send the best of today’s clerics from our Church, a vigorously well-rounded personality, with a distinguished theological preparation, thoroughly aware of all the problems that our contemporary world presents”, for “new times require new people”.
and Suceava, and three days later he was installed in the seat once held by Dosoftei
, Varlaam, Veniamin Costache, to name only the most prominent of his predecessors at Iaşi
.
Upon his election as Metropolitan of Moldavia and Suceava
, he described his programme thus: “With all my efforts I will undertake with steadfast resolve to protect and keep the Holy places: churches, monasteries and sketes – glorious works of art – that form the diadem of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia; and for those who need these treasures of our ancient faith, I will strive to produce priests who are hard-working and devoted to the Church, the Fatherland and the good of the people. Unceasingly I shall keep watch over the direction my Diocese’s priests are taking, for the complete fulfillment of its duties toward the Church and the Fatherland. I will ensure as far as possible that the fruits of priestly work will be seen in the good administration of our places of worship, in the preaching of love among all the sons of the Fatherland and in the charitable giving for the popular good”.
On February 3, 1957, Metropolitan Iustin was first elected deputy to the Great National Assembly
, representing Hârlău
. He would be elected six more times, sitting until his death.
As Metropolitan of Moldavia, he undertook numerous activities. New buildings – veritable architectural monuments – were erected on the grounds of the Iaşi diocesan centre, while his Cathedral and residence were redone. Numerous monasteries and churches, the diocese’s historic monuments, were also restored. Museums or museum collections associated with these monuments were started for many of them. New buildings were raised at the Neamţ Monastery
Theological Seminary, and the old ones were modernised.
In Moldavia, along with his numerous travels and external cares, he initiated, with the talent of a born architect, the radical transformation of the Metropolitan Centre from a random assortment of run-down buildings into a modern centre fit for his time. Also endowed with an unexpected practical spirit, he had constructed, under conditions of full-blown Communism
, three large buildings in the diocesan centre (two administrative buildings and a dormitory for priests), over 70 new churches and chapels, 52 parish houses and five archpriests’ residences. He founded ten museums of ecclesiastical art, having obtained funds from the state and from parishioners’ donations. He restored, in full or in part, over twenty monasteries and sketes: Putna
, Suceviţa
, Moldoviţa, Voronet
, Arbore, Humor
, Slatina, Dobrovăţ
, Cetăţuia
, Râşca, Neamţ
, Sihăstria, Secu, Bistriţa
, Văratec
.
He led several Romanian Orthodox delegations visiting other churches and countries: the Church of England
(1958), the Malabar Syriac Church
(1961), the United States
(1970), the Danish National Church (1971) and the Ecumenical Patriarchate
(1974). He took part in several synodal delegations led by Patriarch Justinian and received numerous foreign delegations at Iaşi or within the Iaşi Archdiocese. As a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches
(1961-77), he participated in general congresses at New Delhi
(1961), Uppsala
(1969) and Nairobi
(1975) as well as at the annual sessions of the Central Committee at Paris
(1962), Geneva
(1966, 1973 and 1976), Heraklion
(1967), Canterbury
(1969), Addis Ababa
(1971), Utrecht
(1972), Berlin
(1974), etc.
He was part of the Presidium of the Conference of European Churches
and of its Consultative Committee, participating in the Nyborg IV (1964), Nyborg V (1966), Nyborg VI (1971) and Engelberg (1974) General Assemblies, as well as at sessions of the Presidium and the Consultative Committee. He led delegations of the Romanian Orthodox Church to pan-Orthodox conferences at Rhodes
(1961, 1963, 1964) and Chambesy (1968), and to the first preparatory conference of the Holy and Great Pan-Orthodox Synod (Chambesy, 1971).
As metropolitan, he published numerous articles, pastoral letters, speeches and editorials, especially in the magazine Mitropolia Moldovei şi Sucevei, which appeared for twenty years under his direct supervision. In addition, the Iaşi Metropolitan Centre edited other works, among them Monumente istorice-bisericeşti din Mitropolia Moldovei şi Sucevei (1974) and Psaltirea în versuri a lui Dosoftei, ediţie critică (1975); the monographs Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iaşi and Mănăstirea Cetăţuia (both 1977); brochure-albums to popularise the monasteries of Moldavia, prayer books, etc.
, Bucharest, on June 19, 1977. Iustin remained in office until he died in Bucharest on July 31, 1986, and was buried in the Patriarchal Cathedral.
As patriarch, he led several synodal delegations to other churches: the Ecumenical Patriarchate (1978), the Orthodox Church in America Romanian Episcopate
(1979), the Russian Orthodox Church
(1980), the Serbian Orthodox Church
(1981), the Church of Sweden
(1981), the Geneva headquarters of the World Council of Churches (1981), the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
(1982), the Reformed Church in Hungary
(1982) and the Church of Greece
(1984). In return, he was visited by a number of church leaders, as well as by numerous representatives of other churches and Christian denominations from all over the world.
Patriarch Iustin paid special attention to publishing activity. He began the great collection Părinţi şi scriitori bisericeşti (projected to span 90 volumes), as well as the six-volume set Arta creştină în România. A new synod-approved edition of the Bible appeared in 1982, a new New Testament in 1979, as well as textbooks for higher theological education and for theological seminaries, doctoral theses and devotional books. The Patriarchate’s magazines continued to be published, as well as those of the metropolitanates and bulletins for Romanian Orthodox communities abroad.
He helped restore some of Romania’s most important churches and monasteries, continuing the work he had begun at Iaşi. Among the monasteries in question are Curtea de Argeş
, Cheia
, Zamfira, Viforâta, Dealu, Cernica
, Pasărea, Ţigăneşti, Căldăruşani, Sfântul Spiridon Nou and Sfântul Gheorghe. Moreover, he put work into his own Patriarchal Cathedral, as well as others.
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
from 1977 to 1986.
Theological preparation
Moisescu was born in Cândeşti, Argeş CountyArges County
Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...
. He studied at the war orphans’ seminary in Câmpulung-Muscel from 1922 to 1930, finishing with top honours. Patriarch Miron Cristea
Miron Cristea
Miron Cristea, was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian cleric and politician....
selected him alone, of all 1930 seminary graduates, to receive a scholarship and take his licentiate in theology at the University of Athens
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens , usually referred to simply as the University of Athens, is the oldest university in Southeast Europe and has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837. Today, it is the second-largest institution of higher learning in Greece,...
. In 1934, he returned to Romania, having received a degree “arista” (magna cum laude).
Cristea, following Moisescu’s progress, sent him (upon the recommendation of the University of Athens and of the Romanian Embassy in Greece) to continue his advanced studies at the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology at the Université des Sciences Humaines
Marc Bloch University
The Université Marc Bloch, also known as Strasbourg II or UMB was a university in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. As of 2006, it had around 13,000 students. Its name used to be Université des Sciences Humaines , but it was renamed in 1998 in honour of the French historian Marc Bloch...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. After two years in France (1934-36), having obtained material for his doctoral thesis, he returned to Athens in 1936. The following year he obtained his doctorate with the Greek-language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
thesis “Evagrius Ponticus. Life, writings and teachings”, which received an award from the Athens Academy of Sciences. He then took equivalence examinations at the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
’s Faculty of Theology.
There followed a quick succession of professorates, with rapid promotion: Professor of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
at Bucharest’s Nifon Seminary (1937-38); New Testament Professor at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
’s Faculty of Orthodox Theology (1938-39), where he replaced the celebrated professor Nicolae Arseniev. In Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, he established the following Polish-language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
courses: “General and specific introduction to the holy books of the New Testament”; “Exegesis of Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians
Epistle to the Galatians
The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, often shortened to Galatians, is the ninth book of the New Testament. It is a letter from Paul of Tarsus to a number of Early Christian communities in the Roman province of Galatia in central Anatolia...
”; and “Exegesis of the prologue to the Gospel of John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
”. These courses were examined by professors Milan Şesan and Vladimir Prelipceanu, who “determined their scientific and didactic value, as well as their full harmony with the teachings of the Orthodox Church”.
In 1940, he was named associate professor. In 1942, after an examination, he was named Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the Cernăuţi
Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
-Suceava
Suceava
Suceava is the Suceava County seat in Bukovina, Moldavia region, in north-eastern Romania. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1388 to 1565.-History:...
Faculty of Theology. At Cernăuţi and Suceava he created three more courses: “Introduction to the holy books of the New Testament”, “Exegesis” and “Biblical hermeneutics
Biblical hermeneutics
Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. It is part of the broader field of hermeneutics which involves the study of principles for the text and includes all forms of communication: verbal and nonverbal.While Jewish and Christian...
”. About his Romanian-language
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
writings, the same report notes that “The author’s form of expression in Romanian is distinguished by conciseness and clarity”. In 1946 he was transferred as professor to the same department at the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest; in 1948, he began teaching at the Bucharest Theological Institute. During his time as a theology professor, he published a number of specialised works.
Metropolitan of Transylvania
Another series of promotions followed after a turn unforeseen by many at the time, but in the best tradition of precedents not only Byzantine, but also Eastern European and even Romanian, especially TransylvaniaTransylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n: witness Photius
Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople
Photios I , also spelled Photius or Fotios, was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 858 to 867 and from 877 to 886. He is recognized in the Eastern Orthodox churches as St...
’ elevation to Patriarch of Constantinople from general, Ambrose
Ambrose
Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...
becoming Bishop of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
from civil administrator, professor Nicolae Bălan becoming Metropolitan of Transylvania, etc. On February 23, 1956, Vicar Bishop Teoctist Arăpaşu
Teoctist Arapasu
Teoctist was the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church from 1986 to 2007.Teoctist served his first years as patriarch under the Romanian Communist regime, and was accused by some of collaboration...
ordained him deacon; the next day, the other Patriarchal Vicar Bishop, Antim Nica, ordained him priest, and on February 26, the National Church Council, gathered in electoral college according to its statute’s provisions, elected him Archbishop of Sibiu
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
and Metropolitan of Transylvania. He replaced the eminent and recently-deceased Nicolae Bălan.
He then spent ten days in meditation before asking God to receive him into the ranks of the monks at Cernica Monastery on March 8, 1956. Already elected metropolitan, on March 15, 1956 Patriarch Justinian
Justinian Marina
Justinian Marina was a Romanian Orthodox prelate...
, Metropolitan Firmilian of Oltenia
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
and Bishop Nicolae Colan of Cluj
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
ordained him into the episcopate. Three days later, in the Sibiu Metropolitan Cathedral
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sibiu
The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sibiu , located at 35 Mitropoliei Street, Sibiu, Romania, is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Sibiu and Metropolitan of Transylvania...
, he was given Andrei Şaguna
Andrei Saguna
Andrei Şaguna was a Metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania, and one of the Romanian community political leaders in the Habsburg Monarchy, especially active during the 1848 Revolution...
’s crozier. During his short stay in Sibiu, among other activities, he founded the theological magazine Mitropolia Ardealului (nr. 1-2, Sep-Oct 1956) in place of the defunct Revista teologică.
Before Moisescu’s election as Metropolitan of Transylvania, Patriarch Justinian, in a long, meaningful and well-considered speech before the electoral college, described thus the candidate who should be elected: “There we will have to send the best of today’s clerics from our Church, a vigorously well-rounded personality, with a distinguished theological preparation, thoroughly aware of all the problems that our contemporary world presents”, for “new times require new people”.
Metropolitan of Moldavia and Suceava
Metropolitan Iustin spent only a short time at Sibiu. On January 10, 1957, he was elected Metropolitan of MoldaviaMoldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
and Suceava, and three days later he was installed in the seat once held by Dosoftei
Dosoftei
Dimitrie Barilă, better known under his monastical name Dosoftei , was a Moldavian Metropolitan, scholar, poet and translator....
, Varlaam, Veniamin Costache, to name only the most prominent of his predecessors at Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
.
Upon his election as Metropolitan of Moldavia and Suceava
Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina
The Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina, in Iaşi, Romania, is one of the main bishoprics of the Romanian Orthodox Church.-History:Recognised, in 1401, by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Metropolis of Moldavia united, in 1872, with the Metropolis of Ungro-Wallachia to form the...
, he described his programme thus: “With all my efforts I will undertake with steadfast resolve to protect and keep the Holy places: churches, monasteries and sketes – glorious works of art – that form the diadem of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia; and for those who need these treasures of our ancient faith, I will strive to produce priests who are hard-working and devoted to the Church, the Fatherland and the good of the people. Unceasingly I shall keep watch over the direction my Diocese’s priests are taking, for the complete fulfillment of its duties toward the Church and the Fatherland. I will ensure as far as possible that the fruits of priestly work will be seen in the good administration of our places of worship, in the preaching of love among all the sons of the Fatherland and in the charitable giving for the popular good”.
On February 3, 1957, Metropolitan Iustin was first elected deputy to the Great National Assembly
Great National Assembly
The Great National Assembly was the legislature of the Romanian People's Republic and the Socialist Republic Romania. When Communism was overthrown in Romania in December 1989, the National Assembly was replaced by a bicameral parliament, made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.The Great...
, representing Hârlău
Hârlau
Hârlău is a town in Iaşi County, Moldavia, Romania. the estimated population is 11,271. It was the capital city of Moldova in the 15th century. One village, Pârcovaci, is administered by the town.-Population:...
. He would be elected six more times, sitting until his death.
As Metropolitan of Moldavia, he undertook numerous activities. New buildings – veritable architectural monuments – were erected on the grounds of the Iaşi diocesan centre, while his Cathedral and residence were redone. Numerous monasteries and churches, the diocese’s historic monuments, were also restored. Museums or museum collections associated with these monuments were started for many of them. New buildings were raised at the Neamţ Monastery
Neamt Monastery
The Neamţ Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox religious settlement, one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Romania. It was built in 14th century, and it is an example of medieval Moldavian architecture...
Theological Seminary, and the old ones were modernised.
In Moldavia, along with his numerous travels and external cares, he initiated, with the talent of a born architect, the radical transformation of the Metropolitan Centre from a random assortment of run-down buildings into a modern centre fit for his time. Also endowed with an unexpected practical spirit, he had constructed, under conditions of full-blown Communism
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
, three large buildings in the diocesan centre (two administrative buildings and a dormitory for priests), over 70 new churches and chapels, 52 parish houses and five archpriests’ residences. He founded ten museums of ecclesiastical art, having obtained funds from the state and from parishioners’ donations. He restored, in full or in part, over twenty monasteries and sketes: Putna
Putna Monastery
The Putna monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery, one of the most important cultural, religious and artistic centers established in medieval Moldavia; as with many others, it was built and dedicated by Prince Stephen the Great. Putna was founded on the lands perambulated by the Putna...
, Suceviţa
Sucevita Monastery
Sucevița Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox convent situated in the Northeastern part of Romania. It is situated near the Suceviţa River, in the village Sucevița, 18 km away from the city of Rădăuţi, Suceava County. It is located in the southern part of the historical region of Bukovina...
, Moldoviţa, Voronet
Voronet Monastery
Voroneț is a monastery in Romania, located in the town of Gura Humorului, Moldavia. It is one of the famous painted monasteries from southern Bukovina, in Suceava County...
, Arbore, Humor
Humor Monastery
Humor Monastery located in Mănăstirea Humorului, about 5 km north of the town of Gura Humorului, Romania. It is a monastery for nuns dedicated to the Dormition of Virgin Mary, or Theotokos. It was constructed in 1530 by Voievod Petru Rareş and his chancellor Teodor Bubuiog. The monastery was built...
, Slatina, Dobrovăţ
Dobrovăţ Monastery
The Dobrovăţ Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located in Dobrovăț-Ruși, Iaşi County, Romania. The monastery is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments.-History:...
, Cetăţuia
Cetăţuia Monastery
The Cetăţuia Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located in Iaşi, Romania. The monastery is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments.-History:...
, Râşca, Neamţ
Neamt Monastery
The Neamţ Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox religious settlement, one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Romania. It was built in 14th century, and it is an example of medieval Moldavian architecture...
, Sihăstria, Secu, Bistriţa
Bistrita Monastery
The Bistriţa Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox monastery located 8 km west of Piatra Neamţ. It was dedicated in 1402 by Romanian Voivode Alexandru cel Bun whose remains are buried here....
, Văratec
Varatec Monastery
Văratec Monastery is a Romanian Orthodox religious settlement located in north-eastern part of the country, in Văratec village, Agapia Commune, Neamţ County.-External links:***...
.
He led several Romanian Orthodox delegations visiting other churches and countries: the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
(1958), the Malabar Syriac Church
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
(1961), the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(1970), the Danish National Church (1971) and the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople , part of the wider Orthodox Church, is one of the fourteen autocephalous churches within the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
(1974). He took part in several synodal delegations led by Patriarch Justinian and received numerous foreign delegations at Iaşi or within the Iaşi Archdiocese. As a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
(1961-77), he participated in general congresses at New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
(1961), Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
(1969) and Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
(1975) as well as at the annual sessions of the Central Committee at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1962), Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(1966, 1973 and 1976), Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
(1967), Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
(1969), Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
(1971), Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
(1972), Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(1974), etc.
He was part of the Presidium of the Conference of European Churches
Conference of European Churches
The Conference of European Churches was founded in 1959 to promote reconciliation, dialogue and friendship between the churches of Europe at a time of growing Cold War political tensions and divisions. It is an ecumenical fellowship of Christian churches in Europe; its membership consists of most...
and of its Consultative Committee, participating in the Nyborg IV (1964), Nyborg V (1966), Nyborg VI (1971) and Engelberg (1974) General Assemblies, as well as at sessions of the Presidium and the Consultative Committee. He led delegations of the Romanian Orthodox Church to pan-Orthodox conferences at Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
(1961, 1963, 1964) and Chambesy (1968), and to the first preparatory conference of the Holy and Great Pan-Orthodox Synod (Chambesy, 1971).
As metropolitan, he published numerous articles, pastoral letters, speeches and editorials, especially in the magazine Mitropolia Moldovei şi Sucevei, which appeared for twenty years under his direct supervision. In addition, the Iaşi Metropolitan Centre edited other works, among them Monumente istorice-bisericeşti din Mitropolia Moldovei şi Sucevei (1974) and Psaltirea în versuri a lui Dosoftei, ediţie critică (1975); the monographs Catedrala Mitropolitană din Iaşi and Mănăstirea Cetăţuia (both 1977); brochure-albums to popularise the monasteries of Moldavia, prayer books, etc.
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Patriarch Justinian died in March 1977. On June 12, 1977, Metropolitan Iustin was elected Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia,. Patriarch of All Romania. He was enthroned at the Romanian Patriarchal CathedralRomanian Patriarchal Cathedral
The Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral is located near the palace of the Patriarchate of the Romanian Orthodox Church, on Dealul Mitropoliei, in Bucharest, Romania....
, Bucharest, on June 19, 1977. Iustin remained in office until he died in Bucharest on July 31, 1986, and was buried in the Patriarchal Cathedral.
As patriarch, he led several synodal delegations to other churches: the Ecumenical Patriarchate (1978), the Orthodox Church in America Romanian Episcopate
Orthodox Church in America Romanian Episcopate
The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America is one of three ethnic dioceses of the Orthodox Church in America , and a former diocese of the Romanian Orthodox Church...
(1979), the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
(1980), the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
(1981), the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
(1981), the Geneva headquarters of the World Council of Churches (1981), the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
(1982), the Reformed Church in Hungary
Reformed Church in Hungary
The Reformed Church in Hungary is a key representative of Christianity in Hungary, being numerically the second-largest denomination in Hungary after the Roman Catholic Church, and the biggest denomination among ethnic Hungarians in Romania...
(1982) and the Church of Greece
Church of Greece
The Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
(1984). In return, he was visited by a number of church leaders, as well as by numerous representatives of other churches and Christian denominations from all over the world.
Patriarch Iustin paid special attention to publishing activity. He began the great collection Părinţi şi scriitori bisericeşti (projected to span 90 volumes), as well as the six-volume set Arta creştină în România. A new synod-approved edition of the Bible appeared in 1982, a new New Testament in 1979, as well as textbooks for higher theological education and for theological seminaries, doctoral theses and devotional books. The Patriarchate’s magazines continued to be published, as well as those of the metropolitanates and bulletins for Romanian Orthodox communities abroad.
He helped restore some of Romania’s most important churches and monasteries, continuing the work he had begun at Iaşi. Among the monasteries in question are Curtea de Argeş
Curtea de Arges Cathedral
The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș is a church in Curtea de Argeș, Romania, located in the grounds of a monastery. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas....
, Cheia
Cheia
Cheia is a mountain resort, 60 kilometers north of Ploieşti, Prahova county, Romania.Situated in the Teleajen Valley, it is surrounded by Ciucaş Mountain and Zăganu Mountain....
, Zamfira, Viforâta, Dealu, Cernica
Cernica
Cernica is a commune in the southeast part of Ilfov County, Romania, with a population of 9,425 as of 2002. It is composed of five villages: Bălăceanca, Căldăraru, Cernica, Poşta and Tânganu, several villages on the bank of lake Cernica...
, Pasărea, Ţigăneşti, Căldăruşani, Sfântul Spiridon Nou and Sfântul Gheorghe. Moreover, he put work into his own Patriarchal Cathedral, as well as others.
Offices held
- Professor at the Nifon Seminary, Bucharest (1937-1938)
- Professor at the University of Warsaw (1938-1939)
- Professor at the Cernăuţi-Suceava Faculty of Theology (1940-1946)
- Professor at the University of Bucharest (1946-1948)
- Professor at the Bucharest Theological Institute (1948-1956)
- Archbishop of Sibiu and Metropolitan of Transylvania (elected 26 February 1956, ordained bishop 15 March 1956, enthroned 18 March 1956)
- Archbishop of Iaşi and Metropolitan of Moldova and Suceava (elected 10 January 1957, enthroned 13 January 1957)
- Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, Patriarch of All Romania (elected 12 June 1977, enthroned 19 June 1977)
Selected works
- Sfânta Scriptură şi interpretarea ei în opera Sf. Ioan Hrisostom (1939-1941)
- Originalitatea parabolelor Mântuitorului (1944-1945)
- Activitatea Sfântului Apostol Pavel în Atena (1946)
- Ierarhia bisericească în epoca apostolică. Anexă: Texte biblice si patristice despre pace şi muncă (Craiova, 1955)
- Simbolica lui Hristu Andrutsos, traducere din greceşte (Craiova, 1955)
- Sfântul Pavel şi viaţa celor mai de seamă comunităţi creştine din epoca apostolică (1951)
- Temeiurile lucrării Bisericii pentru apărarea păcii (1953)