Pope welcomes election of new major archbishop for Romanian church November 7, 2025By Catholic News Service Catholic News Service Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, News, Vatican, World News VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Remembering the generations of bishops, priests and laypeople martyred for their Catholic faith under communism in Romania, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the election of a new head of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church. The bishops of the church elected 53-year-old Bishop Claudiu-Lucian Pop as the major archbishop of Fagaras and Alba Iulia and head of the church; Pope Leo gave his assent in a letter published Nov. 6. He succeeds Cardinal Lucian Muresan, who died Sept. 25 at the age of 94. Congratulating the new archbishop, Pope Leo prayed that he would prove to be “a shepherd who, according to the heart of Christ, tends diligently the flock entrusted to you.” “May the Holy Spirit guide you, Beatitude, in the ministry to which the Lord has called you, that you may promote the communion and the mission of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church, so that it may grow and prosper, ever mindful of the many martyrs and confessors who, by the witness of their lives, have inscribed indelible and glorious pages in the history of faith,” the pope added. The Romanian Greek Catholic Church was banned by the communist government in 1948 and was able to fully emerge from an underground existence only with the end of communism in 1990. Archbishop Pop was born July 22, 1972, in Piscolt. He studied in Rome at the Pontifical Urbanian University and the Pontifical Gregorian University before being ordained to the priesthood in 1995. Pope Benedict XVI named him a bishop in 2011, and he was assigned to the Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla in 2021. The Romanian Greek Catholic Church is one of 23 Eastern-rite churches in full communion with Rome. A major archbishop has authority similar to that of the Eastern Catholic patriarchs, and the key decisions of their churches, including the election of bishops in their home territories, is made by their synods of bishops. Read More Vatican News Pope Leo XIV calls on Latin American bishops to lead from ground, not ‘behind a desk’ Pope Leo tells Special Olympics athletes they ‘remind everyone of the true values of life’ Pope Leo XIV to travel 19,000 miles on 14 flights during trip to Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay Lourdes fully covers Rupnik mosaics ahead of Pope Leo visit, citing care for abuse survivors Embrace ‘deep spiritual bonds’ between Jews and Catholics, says bishop in Yom Kippur message Priests, pastoral leaders have permission to do less, do it better, pope says Copyright © 2025 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Print
