”The Garden of the Mother of God”: Orthodoxy and Anti-Gender Politics in Romania

In recent years, religious values and discourse have gained increasing prominence in the Romanian political arena, being strategically mobilized—especially in electoral contexts—by most parties. The narrative of Romania as the Garden of the Mother of God has become a central trope, forging an indissoluble link between Orthodox faith, national identity, and the traditional family. Within an antagonistic populist logic, gender equality is framed as a threat to national identity and Christian values. Consequently, defending the traditional family is recast as a patriotic and sacred mission for politicians claiming to protect the national interest (Băluță & Tufiș, 2024). Starting from the concept of opportunistic synergies (Graff & Korolczuk, 2022), I explore the role of the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR) in fostering anti-gender narratives and amplifying anti-gender campaigns (Kuhar & Paternotte, 2017). The analysis follows two directions: first, the consolidation of BOR as a right-wing political actor promoting social (ultra)conservatism, political ultranationalism, and the diffusion of fascist ideas; second, the development of anti-gender narratives in relation to Orthodox values. For the first part, I draw on existing research concerning BOR as a political actor after 1989. For the second part, building on my previous research on sexomarxism, the traditional family, and the Referendum for the Family, I examine the articulation between Orthodox discourse and anti-gender narratives. The analysis focuses on three case studies: the debates on religious education in public schools (2014–2015); the Referendum for the Family (2018); and the debates surrounding the education laws in 2023. Primary sources include parliamentary debates and the official website of BOR (basilica.ro), supplemented by public statements of key actors. This study situates the emergence of anti-gender narratives in a diachronic perspective, tracing how they are integrated, appropriated, and instrumentalized within religious discourse, and how they reshape Orthodox conceptions of national identity and moral-political values. Moreover, I will highlight the dual process that contributes to democratic backsliding: the contagion effect of religious anti-gender narratives on the mainstream political agenda, and the capture and resignification of gender-related issues by religious and far-right actors.