Nicolae Bălan
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Nicolae Bălan (; April 27, 1882 – August 6, 1955) was an
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
-born
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n cleric, a
metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...
of the
Romanian Orthodox Church The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of ...
. The son of a priest, he graduated from Czernowitz University and taught theology at Sibiu from 1905 to 1920. That year, he became
Metropolitan of Transylvania Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a ...
, an office he would hold for the rest of his life. In the 1930s, he was an open supporter of the
Iron Guard The Iron Guard ( ro, Garda de Fier) was a Romanian militant revolutionary fascist movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel Michael () or the Legionnaire Movement (). It was strongly ...
. In 1942, during the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, he intervened in Bucharest against the planned deportation of
Romanian Jews The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...
from the Regat, Southern Transylvania and the
Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
to the Nazi
extermination camps Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
. In 1948, after a communist regime was established, he publicly assisted the new authorities in their effort to disband the
Romanian Greek-Catholic Church The Romanian Greek Catholic Church or Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic ( la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Romaniae; ro, Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică), sometimes called, in reference to its Byzantine Rite, the ...
.


Biography


Early life

Born in Blăjenii de Sus,
Bistrița-Năsăud County Bistrița-Năsăud () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Bistrița. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as ''Beszterce-Naszód megye'', and in German language, German as ''Kreis Bistritz-N ...
, he was the first of eight children born to the priest Vasile Bălan and his wife Maria.Păcurariu, p.337 He graduated from the
Năsăud Năsăud (; german: Nassod, ''Nußdorf''; hu, Naszód) is a town in Bistrița-Năsăud County in Romania located in the historical region of Transylvania. The town administers two villages, Liviu Rebreanu (until 1958 ''Prislop''; ''Priszlop'') a ...
gymnasium in 1900 and attended the Theology faculty of Czernowitz University from 1900 to 1904, obtaining his doctorate there the following year. His renowned professors included the brothers Eusebiu and Constantin Clement Popovici,
Emilian Voiutschi Emilian Voiutschi (March 31, 1850—December 6, 1920) was an Imperial Austrian-born Romanian theologian and cleric of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Born in Czernowitz (''Cernăuți''), he attended the gymnasium in his native city as well as t ...
, Vasile Găină, Teodor Tarnavschi, Vasile Tarnavschi and
Vasile Gheorghiu Vasile Gheorghiu (16 June 1872–29 November 1959) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian theologian. Born in Câmpulung Moldovenesc, then part of Austrian-ruled Bukovina, he attended the Romanian Orthodox high school in Suceava from 1882 to 18 ...
; Bălan distinguished himself as an excellent student. He attended courses on Protestant and Catholic theology at Breslau in 1904–1905. Moving to
Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...
, in 1905 he became a temporary professor at the local theological institute's department for dogma, apologetics and ethics. He secured a permanent post in 1909, and remained until 1920."Bălan, Nicolae"
entry in Mircea Păcurariu, ''Dicționarul Teologilor Români'', Editura Univers Enciclopedic, Bucharest, 1996
A member of the Sibiu Archdiocese's synod and of the
Metropolis of Transylvania A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...
's national church council, he founded and edited ''Revista Teologică'' between 1907 and 1916. In 1918, together with two other professors, he edited ''Gazeta Poporului''. In November 1918, as World War I neared its end, the Romanian National Council of Transylvania sent him on a mission to
Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...
, the temporary capital of the
Romanian Old Kingdom The Romanian Old Kingdom ( ro, Vechiul Regat or just ''Regat''; german: Regat or ) is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia ...
, where he discussed the pending
union of Transylvania with Romania The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a national holiday in Romani ...
.


As metropolitan bishop

Ordained a priest in 1919, he was elected Metropolitan of Transylvania in February 1920, and was consecrated in May. Bălan occupied this role until his death. Also in 1920, he became an honorary member of the
Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its byl ...
, a member of ASTRA's central committee and an ''ex officio'' Romanian Senator. While in office, he advocated that the principles of
Andrei Șaguna Andrei Șaguna (; 20 January 1808, Miskolc, Hungary – 28 June 1873, Nagyszeben, Hungary) was a Metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Transylvania, and one of the Romanian community political leaders in the Habsburg monarchy, ...
's organic statute, which favored ecclesiastical autonomy, be incorporated into the 1925 law and statute on the functioning of the Romanian Orthodox Church. This ended up taking place, due in part to his intervention during the Senate debate. In 1921, he elevated the theological institute to the rank of academy; this institution gained the right to emit tertiary diplomas in 1943 and achieved university rank in 1948. He coordinated the activities of the secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the metropolis until these were nationalized by the new
communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
in 1948. He founded three schools in Sibiu: a
normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
for girls, a school for church singers and a boarding school. He also supervised the metropolis' three publications, one of which was founded under his tenure, in 1922. Over 150 churches and a similar number of parish houses were built in the archdiocese, with new parishes and districts being founded. An
ecumenist Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
, he attended the 1925 Stockholm Conference and the 1926 Berne Conference. In 1925, he led a pilgrimage to the
Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
.


1930s and WWII: Iron Guard, Vienna Diktat, Holocaust

A committed supporter of the
Iron Guard The Iron Guard ( ro, Garda de Fier) was a Romanian militant revolutionary fascist movement and political party founded in 1927 by Corneliu Zelea Codreanu as the Legion of the Archangel Michael () or the Legionnaire Movement (). It was strongly ...
, he was drawn to the movement by his friend, the priest
Ioan Moța Ioan Moța (; Nojag, Hunedoara County, 15 December 1868 - Bucharest, 20 November 1940) was a Romanian Orthodox priest, nationalist politician, and journalist, as well as father to prominent Iron Guard personality Ion Moța. Biography Ioan Mo ...
. In 1930, another priest,
Iosif Trifa Iosif Trifa (3 March 1888 – 12 February 1938) was a Romanian Orthodox priest and evangelist. He founded "Oastea Domnului" ("The Lord's Army"). He was also the uncle of Valerian Trifa. Trifa placed on the 100 greatest Romanians list. Life Iosif ...
, spoke out against the Guard for its use of violence; Bălan dismissed Trifa from the editorship of the popular ''Lumina Satelor'' magazine. Moța, the new editor, turned this into an organ of Guardist propaganda that nearly went bankrupt within a year. At that point, Bălan restored Trifa to his old position and the magazine again flourished. In February 1937, after Moţa's son
Ion Moța Ion I. Moța (5 July 1902 — 13 January 1937) was the deputy leader of the Romanian fascist Iron Guard, Legionary Movement (Iron Guard), killed in battle during the Spanish Civil War. Biography Son of the nationalist Romanian Orthodox, Ort ...
was killed during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, together with
Vasile Marin Vasile Marin (January 29, 1904, Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania – January 13, 1937, Majadahonda, Spain) was a Romanian politician, public servant and lawyer. A member of the National Peasants' Party until 1932, Vasile Marin later became a pr ...
, Bălan led a procession of some two hundred priests at the
funerals of Ion Moța and Vasile Marin The Funerals of Ion Moța and Vasile Marin were a series of wide-scale demonstrations in Romania. The two leaders of the Iron Guard had been killed in battle on the same day, January 13, 1937, at Majadahonda while fighting on the side of Franco ...
. In September 1940, he led prayers at a massive celebration for the Guard's late founder,
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (; born Corneliu Codreanu, according to his birth certificate; 13 September 1899 – 30 November 1938) was a Romanian politician of the far right, the founder and charismatic leader of the Iron Guard or ''The Legion ...
. That November, after Ioan Moța died, he led a large funeral well-attended by Guard members."Legionarii, între pistol şi Dumnezeu"
''Adevărul'', October 23, 2014
During the Crown Council session of August 29–30, 1940, he protested against the
Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award, also known as the Vienna Diktat, was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all ...
and its cession of
Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...
to
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, advocating the reversal of this decision during World War II. In 1942, during the Holocaust, he was among those who protested plans for deporting Romanian Jews from the Old Kingdom, the
Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
and southern Transylvania, a scheme that was ultimately not carried out.


Under communism: Greek-Catholicism, collaboration

The communist regime did not persecute Bălan for his Iron Guard past because he proved a useful instrument in the suppression of the
Romanian Greek-Catholic Church The Romanian Greek Catholic Church or Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic ( la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Romaniae; ro, Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică), sometimes called, in reference to its Byzantine Rite, the ...
. He had spoken out against the Greek-Catholics during the interwar period, and, partly as a means of self-preservation, held a series of sermons at the
Sibiu Orthodox Cathedral The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Sibiu ( ro, Catedrala Sfânta Treime din Sibiu), located at 35 Mitropoliei Street, Sibiu, Romania, is the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Sibiu and Metropolitan of Transylvania. It was built in the style of ...
in May–June 1948 calling on Greek-Catholics to join the Orthodox Church. While the previous
Patriarch of All Romania The Patriarch of All Romania ( ro, Patriarh al Întregii Românii; ) is the title of the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch is officially styled as ''Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrogea, Locum tenens o ...
,
Nicodim Munteanu Nicodim (), born Nicolae Munteanu (; 6 December 1864, Pipirig, Neamț County, Romania – 27 February 1948, Bucharest), was the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church (Patriarch of All Romania) between 1939 and 1948. Biography He studied theo ...
, who died in February 1948, had opposed such initiatives, the new patriarch, Iustinian Marina, was fully behind the effort.Ilarion Ţiu
"Biserica greco-catolică, prigonită de regimul comunist"
, ''Historia'', October 2012
In May 1948, at a ceremony in
Blaj Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; hu, Balázsfalva; german: Blasendorf; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Blußendref'') is a municipiu, city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,630 inhabita ...
marking the centenary of
the assembly The Assembly were a British synth-pop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England, by Vince Clarke (songwriting, keyboards, backing vocals) and Eric Radcliffe (songwriting, production). Feargal Sharkey was hired as a guest vocalist for the A- ...
that gathered there during the 1848 revolution, he repeated the call to Greek-Catholics, a gesture that drew opposition not only from members of that church, but also from Orthodox clerics such as Bishop Nicolae Popoviciu. On October 31, he reportedly took possession of the Blaj Cathedral while flanked by a column of
Securitate The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regime ...
troops. The church was formally dissolved on December 1. In spite of the aid he offered the regime, Bălan was purged from the Romanian Academy in June 1948. Păun Otiman
"1948 – Anul imensei jertfe a Academiei Române"
in ''Academica'', Nr. 4 (31), December 2013, p.118


Notes


References

*
Mircea Păcurariu Mircea Păcurariu (30 July 1932 – 13 January 2021) was a Romanian theologian, historian and priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Biography Born in Ruși, Hunedoara County, he was the son of the village priest. He enrolled in the History ...
, ''Cărturari sibieni de altădată'', in ''Colecția Universitaria: Seria Historica'', 24. Editura Dacia, 2002, {{DEFAULTSORT:Balan, Nicolae 1882 births 1955 deaths People from Bistrița-Năsăud County People from the Kingdom of Hungary Romanian Austro-Hungarians Romanian Orthodox metropolitan bishops Delegates of the Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia Members of the Senate of Romania Romanian theologians Eastern Orthodoxy and far-right politics Romanian magazine editors Romanian magazine founders Chernivtsi University alumni Honorary members of the Romanian Academy