The Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has taken measures to protect the faithful from the activities of schismatic and heretical groups

On October 29, 2026, a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church was held, presided over by Patriarch Daniel. The hierarchs expressed serious concern over the activities of heretical and schismatic organizations that use Orthodox symbols, vestments, and ecclesiastical titles to mislead the faithful and raise funds under the guise of religious activity.

The Synod instructed the dioceses to intensify their educational efforts among the laity to protect them from becoming involved in such groups. It emphasized the need to preserve full unity with the canonical Church and to observe the rules of the Holy Fathers. As part of efforts to strengthen church discipline, a draft “Pastoral Code for Responsible Communication” was approved, systematizing norms of conduct for clergy in the public sphere.

In addition to security issues, the Synod declared 2028 the “Year of Celebrating the Use of Biblical Texts in Liturgical Life” and the “Year of Remembrance for Translators and Printers of Sacred Books.” New liturgical texts in honor of the saints were also approved, issues related to missionary work among migrants were discussed, and seven new textbooks on the subject of “Religion” for the first grade of high school were approved.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Synod of the Bessarabian Metropolis of the Romanian Orthodox Church officially nominated two candidates for the vacant position of Bishop of Bălți. The choice fell on Archimandrite Nicodim Petre and Archimandrite Dosoftei Dižmărescu, whose nominations will now be submitted for consideration by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It is noteworthy that, in doing so, the Romanian Patriarchate is effectively creating a parallel hierarchy, thereby openly escalating tensions with the Orthodox Church of Moldova, which is the dominant Orthodox denomination in the country.