There were also reports of attacks on journalists who were writing stories on illicit business deals. Religious freedom is generally respected although newer religious organizations have not been allowed to register with the state secretary of religions, which had denied their right to freely exercise their religious beliefs and prevented them from building places of worship, cemeteries, etc. The pope visited Romania in 1999 hoping to begin a dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Greek Catholic Church of the Byzantine Rite joined with the pope to seek recovery of numerous properties seized by the Communists in 1948. The constitution provides for freedom of assembly, and the government respects this right.
Workers have the right to form unions and strike.
The economic and political transition has affected the Romanian population as various sectors such as trade unions and rail workers have gone on strike and demanded higher salaries, better working conditions, and job security. All are independent of other government branches but subject to influence by the executive branch. To diminish the politicization of the process, a 1997 revision of the law called for the members of the Higher Council to be appointed by the justice minister, not by parliament. There are no significant changes in the 1996 Penal Code that replaced the Communist-era criminal code. It includes Article 200, which punishes displays of public homosexuality.