Holy See–Romania relations

Holy See–Romania relations
Map indicating locations of Holy See and Romania

Holy See
Romania

Holy See–Romania relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Romania. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1920. The Holy See has an embassy in Bucharest. Romania has an embassy to the Vatican.

History

On 28 April 1969, Iuliu Hossu, who was the Bishop of Cluj-Gherla, became the first Romanian cardinal, when Pope Paul VI elevated him to the rank in pectore, meaning in secret. His rank of cardinal was announced in 1973, after Hossu's death.

From 7 to 9 May 1999, Pope John Paul II made an official visit to Romania. It was the first papal trip to a predominantly Orthodox country in more than 1,000 years. He attended an Orthodox liturgy on May 9, 1999, marking the first time a pope has ever attended an Orthodox service.

In 2002, there were 1,028,401 Catholics in Romania, representing 4.7% of the country's population.

Pope Francis visited Romania from 31 May to 2 June 2019. He was welcomed at Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport by president Klaus Iohannis, first lady Carmen Iohannis (who is a Catholic), and the Romanian bishops.

See also

References

  1. ↑ USA, RCI (2025-11-19). "Saint, Martyr, Hero: Honoring the Legacy of Cardinal Iuliu Hossu". Mysite. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  2. ↑ I.Media (2025-06-03). "Pope eulogizes Romanian Cardinal "in pectore" Iuliu Hossu". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  3. ↑ Stanley, Alessandra (May 10, 1999). "Pope's Visit Adds to Hope Of a Future With the West". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  4. ↑ "Pope John Paul II becomes first pope to attend an Orthodox service". Radio Telefís Éireann. 1999. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  5. ↑ "Rezultate: Populaţia după religie la recensământul din" (in Romanian). Recensământ. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  6. ↑ "Acasă la Sântu, la verişorii doamnei lui Klaus Iohannis". zi-de-zi.ro. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Pope urges Romanian leaders to care for country's poor, disadvantaged". 31 May 2019.