NEW EDITION OF ROMANIAN BIBLE OF BLAJ IS PRESENTED

VATICAN CITY, MAY 29, 2001 (VIS) - Today in the Holy See Press Office, His Beatitude, Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, presented the newly reprinted version of the 1795 Bible of Blaj, a "monument of the Romanian language."

The cardinal stated that this bible, the fruit of five years of work by various experts, "has been for many years an efficacious instrument of evangelization and has had an enormous importance in the development of the modern Romanian language, as well as having an important ecumenical significance."

Translated by the monk, Samuil Micu, "it was accepted by Catholics and Orthodox. Given its quality it was therefore used by both communities, then reprinted, thus constituting a basis for other translations. Thanks to this a common theological language was formed which has allowed for a better understanding of one's own positions and led to a fruitful dialogue."

His Beatitude affirmed that he was certain that this volume "will help to better understand the importance which the Greek-Catholic Church has had in the history of the Romanian nation."

"I hope that the Bible of Blaj," he concluded, "re-edited with such care, will also help the dialogue with the Orthodox Church, which has its own roots in the same living source of the Word of God and the Oriental Tradition."

Professor Camil Murasanu of the Romanian Academy explained some of the historical background of the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania. He said that the Romanian Church United with Rome was born about 1700, following the acceptance of Catholicism by a great part of the clergy and Romanian population, originally Orthodox, in the province of Transylvania. This province was under the Austrian empire at that time. Vienna had promised to better the lives of Romanians who then had no rights and who were, in fact, called "the tolerated" in the country's law.

When at least half of Transylvanian Romanians returned to Orthodoxy, the lot of the Byzantine Catholic community, known as the Greek-Catholic community, became difficult. However, under the guidance of enlightened bishops, the Church developed and had an important role in the life of the Romanian people. In 1721 Innocent XIII had confirmed the bishopric for Uniates in Transylvania. In 1737, this episcopal see was transferred to Blaj which became a center of learning, especially of theology. The first Romanian schools in Translyvania were founded in Blaj and became important institutes of learning for all Romanians and the intellectual center where, in 1795, the Bible of Blaj was first produced.
Prof. Murasanu announced that the reprinted edition presented today is dedicated to Pope John Paul who "has very generously supported this work."

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