The journal Glasul Bisericii is the official publication of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobrudja, coordinated by the Cultural and Media Communications Department of the Archdiocese of Bucharest. Founded by His Beatitude Nicodim, the Patriarch of Romania, in 1942 (first as “Bucium Ortodox”, and since 1944 with its current name), Glasul Bisericii contains headings that reflect the ecclesiastical activity of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobrudja and contributions in the field of Theology and Religious Studies (such as: Systematics, Patristics, Byzantinology, History, Archaeology, Ecclesiastical music etc).
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Depending on the name of the publication, the historical course of the journal Glasul Bisericii has two stages:
- period I (April 5, 1942 – August 1944), when the journal was published under the name of Bucium Ortodox;
- the second period (September 1944 – present), when the journal changed its name to Glasul Bisericii – The Voice of the Church.
The idea of setting up the journal belongs to the priest Ion Gafton (the future bishop Iosif Gafton of Argeş). The name of the journal appears for the first time in the March 1942 issue of the magazine Bulletin of Circulars of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Bucharest. The first issue of Bucium Ortodox was printed in April 1942, and continues to appear bimonthly. In September 1944, the magazine founded by Patriarch Nicodemus in 1942, under the name of Bucium Ortodox, changed its title to The Voice of the Church (Glasul Bisericii).
The content of the magazine have evolved over the years. At the beginning, in the first issues, there were official news about the pastoral activity of Patriarch Nicodemus and the Vicar-Bishop, as well as religious-moral stories or theological meditations.
A change occurred with the first issues of the fourth year of publication (no. 1-3 / 1945, April-May) when, on the first page, under the title, appeared the summary of the magazine. This summary can be divided into two categories: 1) articles with theological content; 2) the official part, consisting of information of an official nature, which directly concerned the administrative activity of the Metropolitan Church of Ungrovlahia (circular order, movements in the clergy, etc.).
Over the years, the space allocated to official documents decreased, increasing the number of pages for materials with a predominantly theological thematic content, which addressed topics from all theological disciplines, but also the pastorals of the dioceses of the Metropolitan Church of Muntenia and Dobrogea, sermons, catechesis, documentaries, news, reviews, etc. –the texts being signed by both clerical and lay authors.
In 2019, the editorial board is composed of a president, the Patriarch of Romania (who is also the Archbishop of Bucharest), and ten vice-presidents, the diocesan bishops of the Metropolis. A Scientific Council (Academic Board) was also set up, consisting of professors of theology, with national and international affiliation. The editorial board has four members: the cultural advisor, Rev. Dr. Ștefan Zară (coordinating editor), two editors: Rev. Dumitru Sorin Stoian and Mr. Constantin Gordon, and a DTP specialist: Mr. Mihai Mehedin.
