Roumania (2)

Roumania comprises 4,598,219 inhabitants belonging to the Greek Church, 115,420 to the Church of Rome, 8803 to the Armenian Church, 7790 to the Evangelical Church, 401,051 Jews, 25,033 Mohammedans, and 16,058 who call themselves Lipowanians. The Greek Church is the State Church, organized on strictly hierarchical principles. At the head of the clergy is the archbishop or metropolitan and primate of Roumania, at Bucharest, and the archbishop of Moldavia, at Jassy. The lower clergy are educated at seminaries, and supported by the congregation, whereas the higher clergy, from the archbishops to the protopopes, are paid by the state. What is demanded from the lower clergy is the ability of reading the prescribed formularies and performing the ceremonies. The Roman Catholic Church has two bishops, one at Bucharest and another at Jassy. The Evangelical congregations, with the exception of that at Bucharest, are in connection with the State Church of Prussia, anti receive their preachers from the Prussian consistory. These congregations have, however, their own government, but are required to send a very careful report through their ministers to the Prussian ecclesiastical authority. At present there exist eight Evangelical congregations at Jassy, Bucharest, Galatz, Braila, Pitesti, Crajova, Turnu-Severin, and Atmadscha (Dobruldscha). Each congregation has its own parochial school, with male and female teachers. The latter are from the Kaiserswert house of deaconesses. See Plitt- Herzog, Real-Encyclop. s.v. (B.P.)