Romanian Baptist president seen as sign of unity

CLUJ, Romania — In a move signaling a renewed interest in partnering with the European Baptist Federation (EBF), Romanian Baptists have elected Otniel Bunaciu as their president.

The May 18 decision of the 34th congress of the Baptist Union of Romania was significant because Bunaciu, vice president of Bucharest Baptist Theological Seminary, decisively beat Onisim Mladin, who was seen as the choice of the last president, Paul Negrut.

Negrut’s presidency was seen by many as a divisive force among Romanian Baptists, the second-largest Baptist body in Europe. He led the union to withdraw from the European Baptist body in the 1990s and is an apologist for the Southern Baptist Convention’s campaign against the Baptist World Alliance. Mladin had been general secretary of the union. Negrut is president of the Emanuel Baptist University and Seminary in Oradea, which receives funding from Southern Baptist sources.

Tony Peck, general secretary for the EBF, lamented the distance between Romanian Baptists and his organization and welcomed the shift. "We have regretted very much that over these past 10 years we have not had the close ties with the Romanian Baptist Union which we once enjoyed," Peck said. "We look forward to a renewing and deepening of our relationship in the days to come," he said, adding Bunaciu had proven himself as a gifted leader.