The Orthodox Church is one of the most powerful and influential organizations in Romania. An institution, which contrary to its spiritual mission, has built a true financial empire whose operating mechanism remains unknown to the everyday people and state institutions.
A considerable share of the Church's money comes, however, from public funds. In the past 13 years, under Patriarch Daniel, it received over 260 million euros from the government and capitals' budget.
Our multiple attempts at getting an answer from the Church into their way of administering the public funds were ignored, so we decided to infiltrate ourselves into the system using a false identity.
After eight months of documentation, we discovered a secret network in which businesspeople, politicians, and high-up people within the Church, work hand in hand in an impressive business: the building and rehabilitation of churches with public money. The entire network operates with the blessing of the most powerful man within the Orthodox Church, who's called by the ones close to him the Great White.
Subtitles: Peter Shortall and Florin Ular
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