Romanian monk Daniel Corogeanu, now expelled from the church

Orthodox monasteries and convents have flourished in Romania since the 1989 fall of Nicolae Ceausescu's brutal communist regime, which suppressed religion.

The church is highly regarded in the nation as a trusted institution according to a recent poll. The death of a schizophrenic nun during an attempted exorcism has left many Romanians (many of whom were raised in monasteries and church organizations) bewildered and afraid to ever be under the care of the church again.

The Orthodox Church in Romania has condemned the exorcism ritual as "abominable." It has banned Corogeanu from the priesthood and excluded the four nuns from the church. It has also come to light that Corogeanu had not fully completed his training as a monk but was still in a position of authority.

The nun had symptoms of schizophrenia and was prescribed medication but was not following up on her medical care. Throughout history schizophrenia (and other mental disorders) and possession have been confused with each other. Mental disorders can get really ugly, so I cannot entirely blame them for confusing it with possession, especially if they had not had experience with schizophrenics before, but their actions were undoubtedly extreme (tying her up and gagging her for a prolonged period).