Romanian Greek Catholic Church
Romanian Greek Catholic Church | |
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Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică | |
United States of America and Canada | |
Possessions | |
Origin | 1698 |
Recognition | 1700 |
Priests | 882 |
Places of worship | 413 |
Official website | bisericaromanaunita |
Part of a series on |
Particular churches sui iuris of the Catholic Church |
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Particular churches are grouped by liturgical rite |
Alexandrian Rite |
Armenian Rite |
Byzantine Rite |
East Syriac Rite |
Latin liturgical rites |
West Syriac Rite |
The Romanian Greek Catholic Church
Cardinal
Besides the
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 which 124,563 are ethnic Romanians.[8] In 2022, the church estimated their numbers at 488,000, noting that many citizens whose ancestors were forced to covert during the Communist regime had rediscovered their roots and joined the Greek Catholic Church.[9]
The vast majority of the Romanian
In addition, there are five other
History
Following the
By entering into the Union, Atanasie and the other bishops, along with their respective dioceses, accepted the supreme authority of the
The step undertaken by Metropolitan Atanasie Anghel and his Holy Synod obtained for the ethnic Romanians of
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.[citation needed].[13]
In 1761,
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
Persecution under Communism
After assuming political power in 1948, the
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.
Another remarkable Romanian Greek-Catholic ecclesiastic of the time was
After more than 40 years of clandestine existence, the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic re-emerged publicly, in the wake of the
Only after much struggle and considerable delays, some of the Church's properties, in particular the
Property issues since the fall of Communism
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
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
- Latin: Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Romaniae
References
- ^ https://cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat17.pdf The Eastern Catholic Churches 2017]. cnewa.org
- ^ "Rezultate 2011 - Recensamantul Populatiei si Locuintelor".
- ^ Primele date provizorii pentru Recensământul Populației și Locuințelor, runda 2021, p. 15, 16
- ^ "Eparchy of Saint George's in Canton, USA (Romanian Rite)".
- ^ "Romanian Church". Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ "RomanianCatholic.org". Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ Ronald Roberson. "The Eastern Catholic Churches 2016" (PDF). Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Retrieved 29 November 2016. Information sourced from Annuario Pontificio 2012 edition
- ^ 2011 Romanian census official data.
- ^ US State Dept 2022 report
- ISBN 978-1-4443-3361-9.
- ^ The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (New York: Harper Collins, 1995) 1132.
- ^ "Major dates from the history of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church". Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ^ 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
- ^ Markham, Reuben (1950). Communists Crush Churches in Eastern Europe. Boston: Meador Publishing Co. p. 66.
- ^ Harper-Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, 1132; Niessen, "The Greek Catholic Church and the Romanian Nation", 59–60
- ^ "Recensământ 2002". Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
- ^ Niessen, "the Greek Catholic Church and the Romanian Nation," 60.
- ^ Niessen, "The Greek Catholic Church and the Romanian Nation," 60
- ^ "The Romanian Greek-Catholic Community is facing a cultural and religious wipe-out – letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton". Retrieved 10 January 2017.