The Oradea/ Nagyvárad Philharmonic Building will NOT be returned to its rightful owner
The Oradea/Nagyvárad Court of Appeals has placed yet another obstacle for the Roman Catholic Church in Romania to regain rightful ownership of an iconic building in the city. For over two decades, the Church has sought restitution of the former Catholic Circle Building, currently home to the Oradea Philharmonic. Led by Ilie Bolojan, the Bihor/Bihar County Council appealed the restitution decision to return the church property, and the Court of Appeals upheld this appeal, thereby invalidating the previous ruling.

The original restitution decision was made in December 2023 and officially announced in February this year, restoring ownership of the property to the Roman Catholic Church. After more than twenty years of legal battles, the Church has persistently fought for its assets confiscated under the communist era, including the building that houses the Philharmonic and the Francisc Hubic Folk Art School. However, the Church can still appeal the decision to the Romanian Supreme Court.
The restitution committee previously deemed the physical return of the property justified, given that the additions made after the communist era account for less than half of the building’s original area. However, the County Council argued that, under restitution law, monetary compensation should be provided instead of physical restitution – a major loophole in the law abused by reluctant government entities.
Unfortunately, this case is not unprecedented. The Bihor/Bihar County Council has previously challenged the Catholic Church’s ownership of other restituted properties. In a similar case, the Church had regained ownership of the former Financial Palace, but following the council’s appeal, the court ultimately ruled in favor of the local government.
This issue raises serious questions about the objectivity of the Romanian justice system’s objectivity – and objectives – regarding long overdue restitution of minority-owned church properties.
Source: Krónikaonline.ro Link to article