Teoctist (Romanian pronunciation: [te.okˈtist], born Toader Arăpaşu; February 7, 1915 – July 30, 2007) was the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church from 1986 to 2007.

Teoctist served his first years as patriarch under the Romanian Communist regime, and was accused by some of collaboration. He offered his resignation after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, but was soon restored to office and served a further 17 years.

A promoter of ecumenical dialogue, Patriarch Teoctist invited Pope John Paul II to visit Romania in 1999. It was the first visit of a Pope to a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the East-West Schism of 1054.

He was born as the tenth of eleven children of Dumitru and Marghioala Arăpaşu, of Tocileni, Botoşani County. He attended the primary school in Tocileni (1921–1927).

In 1928, Arăpaşu became a novice at Sihăstria Voronei Hermitage, and later at Vorona Monastery. He became a monk on 6 August 1935 at the Bistriţa-Neamţ Monastery. In 1940, he began his studies at Theology School at the University of Bucharest, from which he graduated in 1945. On March 1, 1945, he was sent to Iaşi, where he was ordained hieromonk on 25 March 1945, and archimandrite in 1946. Between 1946 and 1947, he studied Literature and Philosophy at the University of Iaşi.