The communist period represents a difficult test for the Romanian Orthodox Church. Communists are trying to destroy the religious man and turn him into a strictly secularized one, loyal to the party and its ideals. Thus, the end of the monasticism is tried by Decree 410/1959. As a result of this measure, most of the monasteries are closed, and their monarchs removed from monasticism. Putna Monastery is among the few monastic residences that remain open, but with very few monks, and many needs. In 1962 Gherasim Cucoșel was elected abbot. He is the one who will restore the brilliance of the Putna Monastery, as Patriarch Iustin said. His work here will make him known to the world as His Holiness Gherasim Putneanul.