Calvin Synod Herald, 1974 (74. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1974-01-01 / 1. szám
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD ROMANIAIS GOVERNMENT DELEGATION VISITS WARC Geneva — A three-man delegation of the Department of Religious Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Romania paid an oíBcial visit to the World Alliance of Reformed Churches on June 21. On June 19, 20 and 22, the Romanian visitors were the guests of the other major organizations that have their headquarters in the Ecumenical Center in Geneva: the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. The Romanian delegation was led by the president of the Department, Dr. Dumitru Dogaru, who was accompanied by the director of the Department’s foreign relations office, Mr. Eugen Munteanu, and the secretary for protocol, Mr. Dumitru Stoica. At all the discussions with WARC staff members, Professor Ion Bria, secretary for research and relations with the Orthodox of the WCC, who is himself a Romanian, was also present. After an official welcome by the general secretary of the Alliance, the Rev. Edmond Perret, the Romanian representatives met with him, as well as with the associate secretary, Miss Paulette Piguet, the secretary of the Department of Theology, the Rev. Richmond Smith, and the secretary of the Department of Cooperation and Witness, the Rev. Fred Kaan, for a general discussion and exchange of information. The (Hungarian!) Reformed Church in Romania, with a membership of some 700,000, is the third largest denomination in the country, after the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Dogaru spoke with appreciation of the influential role the Reformed Church had played in Romanian church history. The Minister highlighted two particular areas where the Reformed (Calvinist) ethos had influenced the Orthodox community to which 70% of the population belongs: 1. the early translation into the people’s own language of major Reformed theological documents and writings, coupled with a proliferation of printing facilities, was a stimulus for the Orthodox Church to replace Slavonic, the sacred traditional language of the liturgy, with contemporary Romanian. 2. the Reformed insistence on lay participation in the whole life of the Church also stimulated a greater involvement of the laity in Orthodox church affairs, which, in turn, has led to an openness to outside influences and a profound socioeconomic engagement. Referring to the revolution that had changed the life of his country, the Minister said: “We have seen the theses of the Calvinist Reformation confirmed in what has changed the life of our people.” After the all-morning meeting, and an official luncheon to which Dr. Michael Testa, Europe representative of the United Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ in the USA, had also been invited, the Romanian visitors were taken to see a number of Geneva landmarks, notably the St. Peter’s cathedral, the Calvin Auditorium and the Reformation Wall. rps NEW PRINCIPAL FOR HUNGARIAN REFORMED SEMINARY (Kolozsvár) — A Lutheran theologian has been appointed principal of the United Protestant Theological Institute, here. He is Dr. Hermann Binder, professor of New Testament studies, who succeeds Dr. Gyula David of the Reformed Church in Romania, who retired last March. A well-known ecumenist, Dr. Binder has always been a strong advocate of altar and pulpit fellowship between European Reformed and Lutheran churches as envisaged by the Leuenberg Agreement, which is now under consideration by all European member churches of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. The Institute is the ministerial training center of the Reformed, Lutheran and Unitarian churches in Transylvania. Prior to 1949, the Institute, which is affiliated to Kolozsvár University, served the Reformed Church only. Of the Institute’s staff members, Prof. Dr. István Juhasz plays a leading role in Reformed-Orthodox dialogue in Romania; he also heads the recently formed Ecumenical Committee of the Reformed Church. Professor István Toekes, another faculty member, is a member of the European Theological Commission of the WARC. The Institute was the venue for the 1968 WARC Executive Committee meeting. rps For the first time in history, a non-orthodox churchman has been made a protopresbyter of the Greek Orthodox Church within the Alexandria Patriarchate. He is Dr. Thomas F. Torrance, an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland, who is professor of Christian dogmatics at Edinburgh University. • Gradual integration of the Netherlands Reformed (Hervormde) Church and the Reformed (Gere formeerde) Churches in the Netherlands is one of the objectives accepted by the first ever joint synod of the two Churches, held in Utrecht, June 15, 16. As the joint synod had no decision-making powers, many of the points made at the meeting will have to be ratified by each synod, constituted separately. The 157 synod members welcomed the information that in some 30 Dutch towns congregations of both denominations have already been integrated, and that further local schemes of cooperation are afoot. It is hoped that in the near future both Churches will agree to joint synods on a regular, biennial basis. RPS
