BUCHAREST: Conference on the dialogue between Churches and the European Union

The Presidential Administration of Romania hosted a conference on Thursday, 7 May 2026, delivered by Fr Sorin Șelaru, the Director of the Representation of the Romanian Patriarchate to the European Union. The event formed part of a broader series of initiatives organised to mark Europe Day.

Entitled “The Dialogue of the European Union with Churches and Religious Communities in Europe,” the conference drew a distinguished audience including researchers, university lecturers, students and cultural figures.

“Dialogue between European institutions and religious denominations is not only a necessity of the present, but also the expression of a European identity built over two millennia,” said the conference moderator, Fr Alexandru Bodoros, who serves at the Church of the Cotroceni Palace.

He recalled that the palace church was demolished by the “atheistic communist steamroller” in 1984, but later rebuilt.

“The Presidential Administration of Romania finds itself in an unique situation in Europe, functioning within a complex built upon the foundations of former monastic buildings and organised around a church — a living testimony that defines the identity of this place,” Fr Alexandru Bodoros underlined.

Faith Communities Represented

His Grace Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești attended the event as the representative of Patriarch Daniel of Romania.

Also representing the Romanian Patriarchate were Archimandrite Augustin Coman, coordinating patriarchal counsellor for the Sector for Christian, Interreligious and External Romanian Communities Relations; Fr Valentin Fătu, patriarchal counsellor at the Patriarchal Protocol Office; Archdeacon Nicolae Iftimiu, coordinating patriarchal counsellor and director of the Basilica News Agency; and Fr Mihai Mușat, patriarchal secretary.

Other religious leaders present included His Grace Bishop Datev Hagopian of the Armenian Church in Romania; Daniel Zikeli, auxiliary bishop of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania; Szegedi Ladislau Toma, auxiliary bishop of the Reformed Church in Romania; Rafael Shaffer, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Communities in Romania; and Yusuf Muurat, Mufti of the Muslim Community in Romania.

The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Timișoara was represented by Fr Marinco Marcov, diocesan vicar; the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest by Fr Daniel Bulai, vicar for pastoral activity; and the Romanian Greek Catholic Church by Fr Andrei Mărcuș.

Message from the President of Romania

The event also included a message from President Nicușor Dan, delivered through State Counsellor Mădălina Fătu.

“Europe means, first and foremost, Europa Christiana, because the European project was inspired by the Founding Fathers and subsequently continued to expand under the aegis of the values that together define not only a religion — the Christian religion — but also a generous and enduring space of culture and civilisation,” the Romanian President said in his message.

“We belong to Europe through history, through vocation, and through the efforts invested in the complex process of integration into a united Europe dedicated to peace, cooperation, security and the common good.”

President Nicușor Dan also stated that the event organised by the Presidential Administration “confirms that, at the European level, there exists a strong institutional relationship with churches and faith communities.”

The President of Romania told the religious leaders that their role “is defining for Romanian society, while also carrying an important voice in Romania’s relationship with Europe.”

“Through the moral values you promote in the public sphere, within a constitutional framework that guarantees and encourages dialogue, freedom of religious affiliation and belief, you convey a powerful message of solidarity, responsibility, unity in the face of adversity and care for one’s neighbour,” President Nicușor Dan further stated.

Church-State Relations in Romania Follow a European Model

Also present at the event, Ciprian Vasile Olinici delivered an address in which he underlined that the event organised by the Presidential Administration and hosted by the Church of Cotroceni Palace “reveals two realities that, in fact, reflect the place of religious denominations in Romanian society, both today and throughout history.”

“From the very beginning of the European Union, the responsibility for dialogue with the various confessions and religious structures present on national territory was entrusted to each individual state,” the State Secretary recalled.

“For this reason, we today have three models: the state-church model, as found in the United Kingdom and Denmark; on the other hand, the model of total separation between state and church — in France, with two exceptions, or in the Netherlands; and, in the vast majority of European countries, including Romania, the model of cooperation or collaboration between the state and the religious denominations present within it.”

“And this European model — the one Romania has adopted at the constitutional level — is what allows the most present, most credible and most enduring voice in civil society to be that of the religious denominations or faith communities. The European Union drew inspiration from the model of unity proposed to Europe by Christianity during the first millennium,” Ciprian Vasile Olinici added.

Conference on Church Dialogue with the European Union

Fr Sorin Șelaru presented the official dialogue between the European Union and Churches and religious communities, and outlined the treaties on which the European Union is founded.

The representative of the Romanian Patriarchate explained that the EU has no legal competence in matters of religion or in managing relations with religious communities, and that it fully respects the way member states regulate this field.

“However, even though there is no European legal framework governing religious communities, European legislation does not ignore the role of religion within the European sphere. Rather, it recognises its specific contribution to shaping European identity, while at the same time guaranteeing an open, transparent and regular dialogue with the Churches and religious communities of Europe,” the patriarchal counsellor stated.

“The European Union has developed a structured institutional dialogue with the Churches of Europe. European primary legislation clearly recognises the ‘specific contribution’ of the religious dimension within European society and the necessity of dialogue between European political institutions and religious organisations.”

This institutional cooperation underlines the importance of Europe’s spiritual dimension and acknowledges the unique contribution of religious communities to transforming the EU into a community of values, Fr Prof. Sorin Șelaru added.

EU dialogue with religious denominations is highly important, the speaker added, and “can represent at the same time both a challenge and an opportunity for Churches, which are called to live out their own tradition within a new context.”

Fr Sorin Șelaru also referred to existing challenges, including political and legislative proposals that are not aligned with Christian or religious values, nor with the expectations of many citizens.

“Yet I believe we are all called to contribute to this process with discernment and to improve it, so that we may truly feel it to be our own — both through the instruments offered by democracy and institutionally, as Churches and religious communities, through direct, open and constant dialogue with EU institutions,” the speaker concluded.

The lecture was followed by a discussion with members of the audience gathered at the Church of Cotroceni Palace.

During this part of the event, His Grace Varlaam Ploieșteanul offered several important remarks.

“The Romanian Orthodox Church embraced from the very beginning the national project of integration into the European Union, not only through the signing of the Snagov Agreement, but also through numerous symposiums, studies and volumes dedicated to the European Union and to the benefits arising from our country’s eventual accession to this European structure,” the hierarch said.

“As regards our Church’s involvement in Brussels, the year 2007 marked Romania’s entry into the European Union, and at the same time the beginning of the ministry of Daniel of Romania, who from the outset took care to organise the Representation of the Romanian Patriarchate to the European institutions.”

The Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop underlined that theology professors and students frequently visit EU institutions, where many young Romanians are also employed — reflecting both the quality of their professional training and the preservation of their Christian identity.

“This context also reflects the natural closeness between state institutions and the Church, a relationship which, throughout modern Romanian history, has often been one of cooperation, including from a symbolic and geographical point of view,” His Grace added.

“The European Union brings undeniable benefits to Romania and to the Orthodox Church, including through the strengthening of the Romanian diaspora’s presence abroad. However, it remains important that this dialogue be balanced and faithful to its own principles, including religious neutrality, as stipulated in the European treaties.”

Exhibition: Romania, a Cultural-Religious Destination

In the second part of the events dedicated to Europe Day, a photography, icon and miniature exhibition entitled “Romania – A Leading European Cultural-Religious Destination” was inaugurated at the Basarab Hall of Cotroceni Palace, organised in collaboration with the Patriarchal Administration.

Displayed for the first time in this venue were works awarded over the years by the Church Painting Commission, as well as photographs taken by the photojournalists of the Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The conference and exhibition are part of the series of events entitled “European Week at Cotroceni Palace,” initiated by Romanian President Nicușor Dan in order to encourage “structured and well-argued debates on topics of national interest in a European context, concerning Romania’s place, role and priorities within the European Union.”

Text and photo source: www.basilica.ro