wfn.org | Romania Denies Religious Freedom to Students

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

June 13, 1999
Adventist Press Service(APD)
Christian B. Schäffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland 
 

Romania Denies Religious Freedom to Students

Bucharest, Romania.     Romania's Ministry of National 
Education is denying religious freedom to students who 
cannot take an exam scheduled for June 5, Sabbath for 
Seventh-day Adventists and those of the Jewish faith.

According to Viorel Dima, General Secretary of the country's 
National Association for Religious Liberty, the Education 
Ministry is opposed to any suggestion which would allow 
students to take the "Capacity Examination" on any other 
day. The exam is vitally important, as it is a prerequisite for 
entrance in any high school or vocational school.

"We observe that the Ministry of National Education remains 
inflexible in its position, in spite of official recommendations 
coming from the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs, the 
Romanian Presidency, the Romanian Senate Commission for 
Education, the President of the Romanian Senate and the 
President of Romania," comments Dima.

Some 1000 Adventists are affected, and the Church has 
been trying to arrange for the exam to be re-scheduled in 
September. The Ministry of National Education, in its latest 
letter, refuses any change in the date, saying that "due to 
the fact that the Capacity Examination is a national 
examination, to change now the examination days for a 
certain category of students would disturb it and would 
create suspicions... To observe all the religious festivals 
when scheduling the exams would create serious 
perturbations of the system."

In a meeting on May 27 with Dima and Adrian Bocaneanu, 
the president of the Adventist Church in Romania, the 
Minister of Education justified the Ministry's opposition to 
making any date changes by saying that this is a national 
examination and it is impossible to make exceptions for any 
reason.

The Church is continuing to appeal this decision that denies 
religious freedom and the right to observe a day of worship 
according to the believer's conscience. If the direct appeal is 
unsuccessful, the Church intends to seek remedies available 
through the judicial process.