Confronting Religion from a Post-Political Perspective. Health Policies during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Romania
Confronting Religion from a Post-Political Perspective. Health Policies during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Romania

Summary/Abstract: This paper presents one the most difficult episodes from the post-Communist history of Church and State relations in Romania from a political science perspective by analysing the pandemic period and moreover how public authorities engaged with religious organizations. On the first side of the narratives, the state has neglected many of the international standards on freedom of religion or belief when had restricted the religious life regarding religion as a liability, while, on the other side, the state has tried to convince the Church to push for the promotion of the vaccination campaign, regarding religion as an asset. I conclude that religion is still seen in Romania not in terms of social partnership, but in terms of “friend or enemy” as famously labelled by Carl Schmitt. Thus, religion is still under the politicization impetus and not empowered as a tool of further democratization.

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