Author: Gheorghe-Cristian Popa
November 23, 2011
Fr. Ion Armasi obtained the title of Doctor in Theology:
The first doctoral thesis dedicated to Romanians of the Diaspora A public defence of a doctoral thesis, “Romanian Orthodox Church in the Diaspora: A short history and actual organization” took place … at … Bucharest’s Faculty of Orthodox Theology. It was presented by Fr. Ion Armasi Vartan, Patriarchal Counselor for foreign communities, in the Church interreligious relations sector of the Romanian Patriarchate… Unofficial translation of bold excerpts from a Romania article cited in its entirety on this site and found at : Source: www.ziarullumina.ro 23 november 2011.
…Fr. Ion Armaşi’s work is the first scientific study which details aspects of the mission and Romanian pastoral care given at the global level. The work is based on … Romanian Patriarchal arhives and from data gathered by the author over a 10 year period in the field as part of the Church interreligious relations sector of the Romanian Patriarchate.
Fr. Ion Armaşi presented … the canonically accepted criteria for an Autocephalous Church to expand beyond its national jurisdictional borders and to organize its own Diaspora, the context in which the Romanian Orthodox Church Diaspora was organized and its evolution, and a presentation of Romanian Orthodox Diaspora eparchies, the Romanian communities from around the Romanian borders, as well as the Romanian monastic settlements in the Holy Lands.
Fr. Ion Armaşi showed that the Romanian Orthodox Diaspora is one of the largest and best organized of all Diaspora’s belonging to Orthodox Churches. ” The Romanian Diaspora is served by approximately 600 clerics (of which 13 are Bishops and Metropolitans) organized in three Metropolitanates (with 6 ruling Bishops, an Archdiocese, 4 Episcopates, 500 parishes and 40 monasteries, jail and hospital chapels.”
As well, the candidate … emphasized that “it is important that each community receive religious assistance in its own language. The Romanian Patriarchate has constantly been preoccupied with ensuring Romanians across all meridians a place for the soul, where they could participate in a service held in the Romanian language, officiated by a Romanian priest… [and this] for the over 4 million in the Diaspora”…
… The referees … recommended that this work become required reading, a necessary tool for theologians, professors, students and politicians in diplomatic missions outside the countries’ borders…