Romanian Greek Catholic Church

See also: Catholic Church in Romania
Romanian Greek Catholic Church
Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Blaj
TypeEastern Christianity
ClassificationCatholic
OrientationEastern Catholic
ScriptureBible
TheologyCatholic theology
PolityEpiscopal
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopLucian Mureșan
Bishops7
Eparchies7
Vicariates3
Parishes1,240
Deaneries75
LanguageRomanian
LiturgyByzantine Rite
HeadquartersHoly Trinity Cathedral, Blaj
TerritoryRomania, United States of America and Canada
Possessions
Origin1698
Recognition1700
Separated fromEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (1698)
Members498,658 (2017 Catholic estimate),[1] 150,593 in the 2011 Romanian census,[2] 115,364 in the 2021 Romanian census [3] 6,000 in North America in 2020[4]
Priests882
Places of worship413
Official websitebisericaromanaunita.ro
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The Romanian Greek Catholic Church[a] or Romanian Church United with Rome is a sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church, in full union with the Catholic Church. It has the rank of a Major Archiepiscopal Church and it uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language. It is part 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 Făgăraș 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),[5] 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 See, in the United States of America and Canada.[6]

According to data published in the 2016 Annuario Pontificio, the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church had 504,280 members, 8 bishops, 1,225 parishes, some 835 diocesan priests and 235 seminarians of its own rite at the end of 2012.[7] However, according to the 2011 Romanian government census, the number of its followers living in Romania was as low as 150,593, of whom 124,563 are ethnic Romanians.[8] By 2022, however, the church estimated their numbers have grown to 488,000, as many citizens whose ancestors had converted to Orthodoxy or embraced Marxist-Leninist atheism under the Communist regime have chosen to rejoin the Greek Catholic Church.[9]

The vast majority of the Romanian diocesan priests in Romania are married.[10]

In addition, there are five other Catholic dioceses in Romania, belonging to the Latin Church, whose members are more numerous.

  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".
  3. ^ Primele date provizorii pentru Recensământul Populației și Locuințelor, runda 2021, p. 15, 16
  4. ^ "Eparchy of Saint George's in Canton, USA (Romanian Rite)".
  5. ^ "Romanian Church". Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  6. ^ "RomanianCatholic.org". Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  7. ^ Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2016" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 29 November 2016. Information sourced from Annuario Pontificio 2012 edition
  8. ^ 2011 Romanian census official data.
  9. ^ US State Dept 2022 report
  10. ^ Galadza, Peter (2010). "Eastern Catholic Christianity". 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.


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