The Social Theology of Spiru Haret^*

This study aims to display a less known part of Spiru Haret’s activity: his vision and efforts for reforming the activity of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Alongside its traditional, Liturgical activity, Haret proposed a larger involvement of the clergy in the social problems of their communities. Therefore, alongside school teachers, the priests had the duties of establishing and/or supporting local associations, clubs and committees active in domains like education, morals, culture, hygiene and even economics. The aim of Haret’s initiative was to modernise Romanian society by raising its culture, morality and financial independence, especially for the peasants, who constituted the huge majority of the Romanian pre-war society. According to his perspective, the mission of the Church couldn’t be limited just to its theological and liturgical spectrums, as it should also target the extra-liturgical environment in which the parishioners lived their earthly lives.