religion

Pope Francis was greeted by thousands of Romanians on Friday evening as he arrived at the St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral to hold a Mass, during his first day of his visit to the country.

While the Romanian Government generally respects in practice the right to freedom and religion provided by Constitution and law, the country has restrictions that adversely affect the rights of some religious groups, the U.S. Department of State said in its 2008 report on international religious freedom.

Unions of teachers in Romania’s capital city Bucharest sent an open letter to Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu Wednesday saying the ban on granting gift vouchers creates discrimination on religious criteria.