Romanian Greek Catholic Church

Coordinates: 46.1735°N 23.9208°E

The Romanian Greek Catholic Church[a] or Romanian

Romanian Greek Catholic
Church United with Rome is a sui iuris Eastern Catholic
Church, in full union with the Catholic Church. It has the Church
rank of a Major Archiepiscopal Church and it uses the Biserica Română Unită cu Roma,
Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language. It is part Greco-Catolică
of the Major Archiepiscopal Churches of the Catholic Church
that are not distinguished with a patriarchal title.

Cardinal Lucian Mureșan, Archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba

Iulia, has served as the head of the Romanian Greek-Catholic
Church since 1994. On December 16, 2005, as the
Romanian Church United with Rome, the Greek-Catholic
church was elevated to the rank of a Major Archiepiscopal
Church by Pope Benedict XVI, with Lucian Mureșan
becoming its first major archbishop. Mureşan was made a
cardinal, at the consistory of February 18, 2012.

Besides the Archeparchy of Fǎgǎraș and Alba Iulia, there are

five more Greek-Catholic eparchies in Romania (Eparchy of
Oradea Mare, Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla, Eparchy of Lugoj,
Eparchy of Maramureș, and Eparchy of Saint Basil the Great
of Bucharest),[4] as well as one eparchy overseas, the
Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton,
answering directly to the Major Archbishop and the Holy Holy Trinity Cathedral, Blaj
See, in the United States of America and Canada.[5]
Type Eastern Christianity
According to data published in the 2016 Annuario Pontificio, Classification Catholic
the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church had 504,280 members, Orientation Eastern Catholic
8 bishops, 1,225 parishes, some 835 diocesan priests and 235
Scripture Bible
seminarians of its own rite at the end of 2012.[6] However,
according to the 2011 Romanian government census, the Theology Catholic theology
number of its followers living in Romania was as low as Polity Episcopal
150,593, of which 124,563 are ethnic Romanians.[7] In 2022,
Pope Francis
the church estimated their numbers at 488,000, noting that
many citizens whose ancestors were forced to covert during Archbishop Lucian Mureșan
the Communist regime had rediscovered their roots and Bishops 7
joined the Greek Catholic Church.[8]
Eparchies 7
The vast majority of the Romanian diocesan priests in the Vicariates 3
Romania are married.[9]
Parishes 1,240
Deaneries 75
Language Romanian
Liturgy Byzantine Rite
In addition, there are five other Catholic dioceses in Romania, Headquarters Holy Trinity
belonging to the Latin Church, whose members are more Cathedral, Blaj
numerous.
Territory Romania, United
States of America
History and Canada
Possessions United States
Following the Habsburg conquest of Transylvania in 1687,
Metropolitan Atanasie Anghel entered into full communion Canada
with the See of Rome by the Act of Union of 1698, that was Origin 1698
formalized by a synod of bishops on September 4, 1700. This
was part of the process the unification of the Romanian Recognition 1700
Orthodox population to the Catholic Church (Rome's Separated from Ecumenical
Church) newly created Greek Catholic Church, the former Patriarchate of
Orthodox Church of Romanians from Transylvania. [10] Constantinople
(1698)
By entering into the Union, Atanasie and the other bishops,
along with their respective dioceses, accepted the supreme Members 498,658 (2017
authority of the Pope, while at the same time being granted Catholic
the right to keep their own Greek Byzantine liturgical rite. A estimate),[1]
diploma issued by the Emperor Leopold I declared that 150,593 in the 2011
Transylvania's Romanian Orthodox Church is one with the Romanian
Catholic Church and Holy See. Transylvanian Romanians census,[2] 6,000 in
were therefore encouraged to convert to Catholicism and join
North America in
to the Romanian Unified Church (Greek-Catholic Church),
2020[3]
while being able to retain the Byzantine rite, if at the same
time they accepted four doctrinal points promulgated by the Priests 882
Council of Florence (1431 and 1445): the supreme authority Places of worship 413
of the Pope over the entire church; the existence of Purgatory;
the Filioque clause; and the validity of the use of unleavened Official website bisericaromanaunita
bread in the celebration of the Eucharist in the Latin Church .ro (http://bisericaro
(Eastern Orthodox had contended that Latin Catholic use of manaunita.ro)
unleavened bread
was erroneous).

The step undertaken by

Metropolitan Atanasie
Anghel and his Holy
Synod obtained for the
ethnic Romanians of
Transylvania (then part of
the Habsburg monarchy)
Administrative map of the Greek-
equal rights with those of
Catholic (Unified) Church in Romania
the other Transylvanian
nations, which were part of
the Unio Trium Nationum: the Hungarian nobility, the
Transylvanian Saxons, and the Székely. This event coincided with
the arrival of the Jesuits in Transylvania (second time), who
attempted to align this province more closely with Western Europe.
The Greek-Catholic Church in
However, Orthodox Serbian authority and Protestant transylvanian
Mediaș, built by bishop Ioan Bob
nobility were not willing for the romanians orthodox convert,[11]
and this in turn led to the formation of Romanian Orthodox
 movements that advocated for freedom of worship for the entire
Transylvanian population – most notable the movements led by
serbian monk Visarion Sarai, Nicolae Oprea Miclăuş, and the
bosniac monk Sofronie of Cioara, under the influence of the
dominant Serbian Orthodox Church.

In 1721, the Bishop's Residence was moved from Alba Iulia to

Făgăraș, and eventually to Blaj (1737). Following this change, Blaj
became a center of learning and national awakening for all
Romanians..[12]

In 1761, Petru Pavel Aron (1709–1764), the Bishop of Făgăraș and

head of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, translated Biblia
Vulgata into Romanian. While the Romanian Orthodox kept
Church Slavonic as the official liturgical language till 1863, the
Romanian Church United with Rome has been using the Romanian
vernacular ever since its inception. In the 19th century, during a
time when the Hungarian government was pursuing a
Magyarization policy in Transylvania, the Romanian Greek-
Catholic Church, with the aid of the Transylvanian School (Școala
Ardeleană) and the Transylvanian Memorandum, played a
The old Greek-Catholic Church in
prominent role in resisting ethnic assimilation attempts. Moreover,
Sibiu, built by bishop Grigore Maior
many leading figures of the Romanian emancipation movement in
Transylvania, such as Simion Bărnuțiu and Iuliu Maniu, began their
careers as lay servants of the Greek-Catholic Church.

Additional Greek-Catholic Eparchies were eventually set up at Oradea (1777), as well as Gherla and Lugoj
(1853); Blaj, under the title of Eparchy of Alba Iulia and Făgăraș, became the Metropolitan (i.e.
Archiepiscopal) See. On December 16, 2005, the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church was elevated to the
rank of Major Archiepiscopal Church.

Persecution under Communism

After assuming political power in 1948, the Communist regime, rooted in Marxist–Leninist atheism,
deposed all 12 bishops of the Greek-Catholic Church on Stalin's orders. Moreover, on October 21, 1948,
the 250th anniversary of the Romanian Greek Catholic Union with the Catholic Church, the regime
arranged for the "voluntary" and "spontaneous" transfer of all members of the Greek-Catholic Church
(decree 358/1948), that numbered more than 1,500,000[13] at the time, to the Romanian Orthodox Church;
furthermore, the property rights over many of the Greek-Catholic Church's possessions, including its four
cathedrals, were transferred to the Romanian Orthodox Church, while the remainder of those properties
were confiscated by the Romanian State.[14]

The Greek-Catholic bishops, along with many of their priests, were accused by the newly installed
Communist authorities of "antidemocratic activity". After refusing to give up their ties with the
"reactionary" Holy See, they were imprisoned. At about the same time, the Orthodox Church was being
"purged" of priests hostile to the Communist regime. Following this purge, the Orthodox hierarchy enjoyed
good and unforced relations with the Communist authorities for the remainder of the Communist Rule of
Romania.

Iuliu Hossu, Bishop of Cluj, turned down a proposal of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch, Iustinian
Marina, to convert to Orthodoxy and be named Orthodox Archbishop of Iaşi and metropolitan of Moldavia,
and thereby become the official successor of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch himself. Consequently,
Hossu remained under house arrest. Year after year, he sent
Memorandums to the President of the Republic, requesting that the
country's laws and international agreements be observed with
regard to the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church. In 1969, Pope
Paul VI asked Hossu to allow himself to be made a cardinal. As
Hossu was reluctant to leave Romania, the pope made him a
cardinal only "in pectore", i.e. without publishing the fact, and this
was only revealed on March 5, 1973, three years after Hossu's
death.[16] Greek-Catholics in historical
Transylvania (1850 census)
Another remarkable Romanian Greek-Catholic ecclesiastic of the
time was Alexandru Todea (1912–2002). Secretly consecrated a
bishop on November 19, 1950, he was arrested and the following
year he was sentenced to life in prison. He was granted amnesty in
1964. On March 14, 1990, after the fall of the Communist regime,
he was appointed Archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia, and was
made a cardinal the following year.[17]

After more than 40 years of clandestine existence, the Romanian

Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic re-emerged publicly, in
the wake of the Romanian Revolution. Normative act 9/31, passed Greek-Catholics in Banat, Crișana,
on December 31, 1989, repealed Decree 358/1948 (that outlawed Maramureș and Transylvania (1930
the Greek-Catholic Church) as repugnant and bringing grave census)
prejudice upon the Romanian State.

Only after much struggle and considerable delays, some of the

Church's properties, in particular the cathedrals of Cluj, Blaj,
Lugoj, and Oradea, were restored to their rightful owner. However,
much of the original property remains in Romanian Orthodox or
government hands, as the persecution started in 1948 has led to a
marked reduction in the numbers of Romanian Greek Catholic
faithful. After 40 years of Communist rule and forced assimilation
into the regime-approved Orthodox Church, numerous Romanian
Greek-Catholics in Romania (2002
cradle Greek-Catholics remained in the Romanian Orthodox
census)
Church, at least on paper, and it is unclear how many of these
nominal Orthodox members remain crypto-Catholic, especially in
northern Transylvania where most Greek Catholics lived (as shown
on the maps to the right). Other Greek Catholic Romanians
switched to the Latin Church, and now account for the second-
largest group in that denomination after Hungarians. The Romanian
Church United with Rome is still undergoing a process of recovery
from the wounds inflicted by the Communist rulers and the forced
merger.

Property issues since the fall of Communism Greek-Catholic presence, according

to the 2002 census[15]
Since the fall of Communism, Church leaders have claimed that the Romanian Greek-Catholic Community
is facing a cultural and religious wipe-out: the Greek-Catholic churches are allegedly being destroyed by
representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church, whose actions allegedly enjoy not only the acceptance,
but also the support of the Romanian authorities.[18]

Hierarchy
Ecclesiastical Province of Fagaras and Alba Iulia

Romanian Catholic Archeparchy of Fagaraș and Alba Iulia

Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Oradea Mare
Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla
Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Lugoj
Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Maramureș
Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Basil the Great of Bucharest

Immediately subject to the Holy See

Romanian Catholic Eparchy of St George's in Canton

See also
History of Catholicism in Romania
Catholic Church in Romania

Notes
a. Romanian: Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică; Latin: Ecclesia Graeco-
Catholica Romaniae

References
1. https://cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat17.pdf The
Eastern Catholic Churches 2017]. cnewa.org
2. "Rezultate 2011 - Recensamantul Populatiei si Locuintelor" (https://www.recensamantroman
ia.ro/rpl-2011/rezultate-2011/).
3. "Eparchy of Saint George's in Canton, USA (Romanian Rite)" (http://www.gcatholic.org/dioc
eses/diocese/zgeo1.htm).
4. "Romanian Church" (http://www.faswebdesign.com/ECPA/Byzantine/Romanian.html).
Retrieved 10 January 2017.
5. "RomanianCatholic.org" (http://www.romaniancatholic.org/). Retrieved 10 January 2017.
6. Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2016" (http://www.cnewa.org/source-im
ages/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat16.pdf) (PDF). Catholic Near East
Welfare Association. Retrieved 29 November 2016. Information sourced from Annuario
Pontificio 2012 edition
7. 2011 Romanian census official data (http://www.recensamantromania.ro/wp-content/upload
s/2013/07/sR_TAB_13.xls).
 8. US State Dept 2022 report (https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religio
us-freedom/romania)
9. Galadza, Peter (2010). "Eastern Catholic Christianity" (https://books.google.com/books?id=f
Wp9JA3aBvcC&pg=PA303). In Parry, Kenneth (ed.). The Blackwell companion to Eastern
Christianity. Blackwell companions to religion. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. p. 303.
ISBN 978-1-4443-3361-9.
10. The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (New York: Harper Collins, 1995) 1132.
11. "Major dates from the history of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church" (http://www.unitarius.h
u/english/dates2.html). Retrieved 10 January 2017.
12. Harper-Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, 1132; James Niessen, "The Greek Catholic
Church and the Romanian Nation in Transylvania," in John-Paul Himka, James T. Flynn,
James Niessen, eds. Religious Compromise, Political Salvation: the Greek Catholic Church
and Nation-building in Eastern Europe (Pittsburgh: Carl Beck Papers, 1993). (ordered via
USMAI); received Wednesday, March 11, 2009): 49–51
13. Markham, Reuben (1950). Communists Crush Churches in Eastern Europe. Boston: Meador
Publishing Co. p. 66.
14. Harper-Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, 1132; Niessen, "The Greek Catholic Church
and the Romanian Nation", 59–60
15. "Recensământ 2002" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120320124003/http://recensamant.refe
rinte.transindex.ro/). Archived from the original (http://recensamant.referinte.transindex.ro/)
on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
16. Niessen, "the Greek Catholic Church and the Romanian Nation," 60.
17. Niessen, "The Greek Catholic Church and the Romanian Nation," 60
18. "The Romanian Greek-Catholic Community is facing a cultural and religious wipe-out –
letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton" (http://english.hotnews.ro/stiri-top_news-5709
439-the-romanian-greek-catholic-community-facing-cultural-and-religious-wipe-out-ndash-le
tter-secretary-state-hillary-clinton.htm). Retrieved 10 January 2017.

External links
"Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică" (in Romanian) (https://bisericaromanaun
ita.ro/)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romanian_Greek_Catholic_Church&oldid=1177370030"