Metropolitan Bartholomew. The confessional courage of an archpriest

Metropolitan Bartholomew’s life was one of constant turmoil, before and after 1990. I knew him intimately after 1990. Therefore, in what follows, I will try to give a testimony of Metropolitan Bartholomew’s service to the Church after the events of 1989.

After the death of Patriarch Justinian, Archimandrite Bartholomew Ananias withdrew from all administrative responsibilities and found a quiet place in the Văratic Monastery. From here he followed the developments in the country and the Church under Patriarchs Justinian and Theoctist. For more than a decade, his main preoccupation was biblical commentary and literary work.

The liberation of the country in the early 1990s brought Archimandrite Bartholomew back to the forefront of Church life. His participation in the debates of the Reflection Group for the Renewal of the Church, his involvement in the sad moments of the retirement of Patriarch Teoctist, his sensitisation of the ecclesiastical forums for the election of the new hierarchs of the Holy Synod, as well as his clear position in the formation of the independence of the Church’s action from the political factor, are some of the concerns of Father Bartholomew during the years 1990-1991.\

The situation in the country and in the Church then experienced a certain calm, with sporadic turbulences typical of the search for normality. Archimandrite Bartholomew resumed his biblical and literary activities in the peace and quiet of the Văratic Monastery. He was attentive to what was going on in the citadel and sometimes came into its midst. His voice was loud, heard and feared.

The moment of the eternal departure of Archbishop Theophilus of Cluj required decisive and rapid action. The confessional convulsions in Transylvania demanded that the Orthodox Church in Cluj should have a hierarch with rich ecclesiastical experience, well prepared intellectually, with obvious leadership qualities and, above all, with the ability to fight to defend the Orthodox faithful from the pressures to which they were subjected.

The eyes of Patriarch Teoctist, Metropolitan Daniel of Moldavia, many hierarchs, priests and faithful were fixed on the old Archimandrite Bartholomew of Văratic (he was already 70 years old). He finally answered the call¹. He was elected Archbishop of Cluj, the “old Oysterman” again in the fray, this time among the leaders of the host.

For more than 17 years, Archbishop and Metropolitan Bartholomew has been a leading figure in our Church’s efforts to serve Christ and, through Christ, the faithful people of Romania.

His Eminence Archbishop Bartholomew was installed as Archbishop of Cluj. Bartholomew demanded fairness, efficiency and transparency from his staff. He often testified to this high level of demand, which he manifested towards his close collaborators, counsellors, deacons, directors of theological schools or charitable institutions. In the exercise of his ministry, first as Archbishop and then as Metropolitan of Cluj, he said that he wanted to be seen by his pastors as a “just man” and not necessarily as a “good man”. He understood very well that in a country where incoherence, inefficiency and lack of transparency are the root causes that are grinding the nation from within, the right decisions of the leader are absolutely necessary. It is through decisions made in a spirit of justice and respect for the sacred canons and laws of the Church that goodness is ultimately manifested. A just decision is a good decision, it does good to those around it, and justice thus becomes a source of goodness.

Throughout his 17 years of shepherding, Archbishop and Metropolitan Bartholomew has understood that his primary task is to confess and defend the just faith among the hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christians of the Diocese of Cluj and, since 2005, of the Metropolitanate of Cluj, Alba, Crișana and Maramureș. The construction of new churches, the foundation of new monasteries and socio-medical institutions, an unparalleled missionary activity through cultural activities have been the means by which the faithful have been helped, sensitised and strengthened in the confession of the Orthodox faith.

Often in the last 20 years the faith has not only been confessed but also defended. In fact, confessing the faith has often taken the form of defending it against those outside the Church. In his relations with Greek Catholics in particular, Metropolitan Bartholomew inspired a firm attitude. The priests and faithful of Transylvania, especially in the central and northern parts, needed a hierarch who could cope with the enormous pressure on parishes that had been Greek Catholic before 1948. The awareness that all Romanians in Transylvania had been Orthodox until 1700, the pastoral care organised by Patriarch Justinian among the former parishes united after 1948, the uprightness of most Orthodox priests, who did not allow themselves to be lured by huge material promises, helped to preserve the Orthodox faith in almost all cases. This was also made possible by the substantial involvement of the hierarchs of Transylvania, among whom Metropolitan Bartholomew played a leading role. Indeed, this was the motivation for his election as Archbishop of Cluj in 1993. With God’s help, the mission entrusted to His Eminence Bartholomew by the Holy Synod has been admirably fulfilled. The image of the Diocese of Cluj today is a testimony to this.

The experience of a life rich in ecclesiastical and national events has been beautifully and fruitfully applied by the Archbishop of Cluj in the diocese and metropolis he has pastored. The enrichment of this experience through his archiepiscopal ministry gave the High Hierarch the opportunity to make an essential contribution to the Holy Synod of our Church. Bartholomew’s hierarchical quality brought more dynamism, more life to the Synodal forum. The Synodal debates became more transparent, more lively, more courageous in tackling sensitive issues such as the relationship with the political factor, corruption and immorality in some segments of the Church, etc.

The courage of the confession, the strength of the arguments, the coherence of the presentation, the beauty of the expression have always characterised the interventions of the Cluj Metropolitan in the Synodal Forum. The hierarchs of the Holy Synod showed an obvious interest in the contribution of Archbishop Bartholomew to the debates. His voice was listened to, his arguments analysed, and the direction he proposed was often followed by most.

Now Metropolitan Bartholomew’s voice is no longer heard. After a long life of struggle, the venerable man has entered the realm of eternal peace in God. A new Metropolitan will soon be installed in Cluj. Life goes on and we will hear less and less about Metropolitan Bartholomew. Written books, the Bible, churches, monasteries and missionary institutions founded by His Eminence will still be mentioned in places where enlightened minds and sensitive souls can be found to understand the extraordinary scope of the great Metropolitan. I hope that among the hierarchs and among the priests, monks and men of culture of the Church there will be found people who will imbibe something of the courage and confessional power of Metropolitan Bartholomew, so that his genius will continue to influence the course of things for the better.

(Archbishop Theophan Savu – Tabor Magazine No. 1, Year V, April 2011)

 

1. This episode of his return to the hierarchy of the Church is amply described by Vlad Bartholomew in his memoirs published towards the end of his life, of which we quote the main points: “After my return to Văratec, I resumed my rhythm of work at the desk, interrupted, however, by conferences in Iași, Bucharest, Pitești, Alba Iulia. But even when I was on the road or travelling, I was accompanied by the proofreaders of the New Testament, which was in the final stages of printing.
   
   The wind from Transylvania began to blow on the 7th of January, when I received a telephone call from Professor Archdeacon Ioan Floca from Sibiu, who simply asked me to “accept” the episcopal chair in Cluj. I wrote it down in my diary and added: “Well, that’s it!The next day, a phone call from Grigore Băbuș, asking me to call Father Stăniloae, who wanted to tell me something. The great teacher asks me to “accept” the chair in Cluj, insists, begs, argues, refers to the fact that the Church needs personalities now… I promise him that I would think about it.The next evening, a phone call from Patriarch Teoctist: he is under pressure to convince me to accept the chairmanship of Cluj. I politely refused, with a minimum of justification (which seems to suit him!). On 12 January, Grigore called me and “begged” me to accept the Patriarch’s request. I “rebuked” him in a friendly but slightly disturbed manner, a state from which the radio brought me out: from Iasi, the Hymn of Eminescu was broadcast, performed by four very talented actors. The next day, in the evening, Abbess Nazaria informed me by telephone that His Eminence Daniel was expecting me in Iasi the following morning.

   The next morning, very early, a phone call from Metropolitan Daniel: he needs to see me and would have come personally to Văratec if he hadn’t had a bone removed last night and if the doctor hadn’t been with him. He has asked the Protopope of Ceahlău to take me by car to Iași, where we will have breakfast together.

   He met me upstairs in his apartment, where the breakfast table was set with two sets of cutlery. He was in his dressing gown and the doctor had just left.

   – I have a message for you from His Beatitude Teoctist, to which I naturally add my own name. We know that you do not accept the idea of becoming Archbishop of Cluj, but we, the Synod and the College, will elect you anyway and entrust you with the responsibility before God and history. This is all… And now, would you like some tea or milk?

   After sipping my cup of tea, I replied:

   – I won’t run and I won’t come to Bucharest; I leave everything to God. A week later, on 21 January 1993, Patriarch Teoctist informed me by telephone that I had been elected for Cluj with 80 out of 119 votes. I understood that the Church was recalling its old oyster under the flag. And I obeyed”.

   (Valeriu Anania – Memoirs, Polirom Publishing House, Iasi, 2008, pp. 690-691)