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| THE WEEK IN REVIEW (10-16.09.2007) |
| (2007-09-14) |
| Last updated: 2007-09-17 16:18 EET |
The metropolitan Bishop of Moldavia and Bucovina, Daniel, has been elected Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church - the most trusted institution in Romania in terms of public confidence. In the Church Election Bureau, a forum made up of clerics and laymen (mostly politicians and influential businessmen), Daniel obtained a landslide victory of 95% of the votes, 29 more than his main rival, the octogenarian metropolitan bishop of Cluj, Bartholomew. Daniel, 56, has been considered a representative of the reformist and ecumenical wing of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and a good manager with excellent communication skills. Born in Banat, south-western Romania, he embraced monastic life in Moldova, eastern Romania, and was elected metropolitan bishop in the 1990s. He carried out his theological studies in Bucharest, as well as in Protestant and Catholic universities in France and Germany. Daniel has double Phds and taught in Switzerland. He established institutions for theological and social education, religious publications and a religious radio station. Daniel becomes the sixth Patriarch after the Romanian Orthodox Church obtained self-rule. He takes over the legacy of former patriarch Teoctist, elected in 1986, who died in July at the age of 92. In the first interview since his election, Daniel spoke about what he believes is the greatest challenge facing the Romanian Orthodox Church at present.
“Secularization represents a spiritual vacuum, but you cannot build anything on a spiritual vacuum and we have to remain faithful to Lord Jesus, although we are less in number; for God can renew society from this small number of believers.”
For 57 million euros, US-based carmaker Ford has bought a majority stake of 72.4 % in Automobile Craiova, a car manufacturer located in southern Romania. The privatisation contract was signed at the Car Showroom in Frankfurt, Germany, in the presence of Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu and the US ambassador to Bucharest, Nicholas Taubman. The Romanian Prime Minister said the deal represented the first major US industrial investment in Romania, which stands chances of becoming the biggest car producer in south-eastern Europe. Tariceanu said, quote: “the effects of this investment won’t be felt only at the level of the economy and state budget. Of course we’ll register major effects at local level through the tax and duties collected via local budgets, and the enterprise is sure to become a major contributor,” unquote. According to the US ambassador to Bucharest, the investment made by the world leader in automotive manufacturing represents a significant vote of confidence in the Romanian business environment and in Romania’s place in the global economy.
Ford has pledged to make substantial investment of 675 million euros in streamlining the plant in Craiova, and purchases of one billion euros in products and components from the domestic market by 2012. Ford intends to sell roughly 90% of the Romanian plant’s output abroad.
The Social Democratic Party, in opposition, has again decided to postpone until next week the decision to table a long-promised motion of censure against the government in Bucharest, made up of Liberals and members of the Hungarian minority. The reason, says party leader Mircea Geoana, is that the social-democrats wouldn’t like their move overlap with the election of the new patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Geoana has also denied speculations according to which the motion didn’t enjoy support from party members and gave assurances the document would be endorsed by all Social Democratic MPs. Geoana has again explained what the motion of censure is intended to achieve:
“We want a new governing programme to include citizens’ real priorities in terms of pensions, salaries, education, healthcare, investment in a better life for low-income families. We also want to see the attraction of EU funds at, if not an excellent level, then at least a satisfactory one – instead of the zero-level which we’re seeing at present..”
Political analyst Iosif Boda told us more about the situation the social-democrats have placed themselves in.
“What has probably become most evident to analysts, politicians and maybe to the wider public, is the fact that a party, which dominated Romania’s political stage from 1990 up to present, is in a situation of incapability, of impotence… The entire ruling board, starting with the president, secretary general, vice-presidents and all the other members, the presidents of county organisations and so forth, the leaders of the Parliament groups, are unable to convince their own MPs to sign this motion, or even turn up to vote for it.”
(Andreea Bojoi)
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