A Sociological Perspective on the Role of the Church in Organ Transplantation

Rezumat

In sociological terms issues such as religion, religiosity or church institution they were approached by various keys of interpretation. The church is approached including, or especially, when we refer to challenges of the current reality such as euthanasia, cloning, in vitro fertilization etc.. In contemporary society, the appeal to the church institution seeks to the identify of the meaning to the events of the individual. Today the individual and collective path of people includes an extensive and diverse range of experiences which only the church sometimes finds meaning. The religious dimension of the current church makes such an important social actor, looking like the glue of the community. At the same time the church can be seen in various situations that come to confirm the role and its importance in society. This paper brings out the church as a social actor in the issue of organ transplantation. the donation and the transplant of the organs include some aspects that do not match with the church speech. However, the church represents an actor which can adapt in a way that it can not be trapped in the religious texts that do not refer to issues under discussion. The second part of this article presents arguments and data regarding Romanian Orthodox Church and its ability to outline an important actor in the Romanian territory.