Brief History of The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, analyzing the requests of the Romanian Orthodox communities in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, approved by resolution no. 4586/2007, in its working session on the 22nd October 2007, the establishment and organization of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe, based in Stockholm – Sweden, as a suffragan diocese of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Germany, Central and Northern Europe.
Orthodox Romanians settled in Scandinavia were under the spiritual protection of the Romanian Patriarchate since the 70s, when, despite the difficult conditions, they were sent priests to assist them in their faith and to perform the religious servicies, but also to organize or coagulate Romanian communities, to preserve and promote the identity of their language, history, culture, civilization and the Christian-Orthodox Romanian spirituality.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, taking note of the Diocesan Assembly decision of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe on the 23rd February 2008 according to Art. 130 of the Rules for the Organization and Functioning of the Romanian Orthodox Church, elected on the 5th March 2008, with 42 of 45 free votes cast, as Bishop of this Diocese, Father protosinghel Macarios, Ecclesiarch Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj-Napoca. Father Macarie was ordained bishop on the enlightened feast of the Life-Giving Spring on the 2nd May 2008, in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Cluj-Napoca and the official enthronement in the episcopal dignity was proclaimed on Sunday, July 6th, 2008, in the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral “Holy Hierarch Sava” in Stockholm, becoming the first bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Northern Europe.