In the 20th century, why do some modern governments still take the Church so seriously? And has the Church betrayed Christ by accepting too comfortable a relationship with the Caesars of our time? This series examines those questions by looking in turn at four countries where one Church has a special position.
2: The Romanian Symphony
Trevor Beeson. Canon of Westminster Abbey, investigates the strange compromise between the Orthodox Church and one of the toughest Communist governments in Eastern Europe. The State pays part of the salaries of the clergy, and bishops sit in the parliament - the only one in Eastern Europe to have a cross on its building. Leading Marxists speak of ' our Church ' and some of them even hold office in it. Is this a triumph of co-operation or is it a sell-out by the Church? The task in Romania is to discover where the truth lies. for apart from the symphony projected by the Church-State orchestra, there can also be heard some jarring and discordant notes.
Series producer JOHN WILKINS