Ordinariate for Armenian Catholics of Romania | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Romania |
| Population |
|
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Armenian Catholic Church |
| Rite | Armenian Rite |
| Established | 5 June 1930 |
| Cathedral | Holy Trinity Cathedral, Gherla |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Patriarch | Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian |
| Bishop | Vacant |
| Apostolic Administrator | Gergely Kovács |
TheOrdinariate for Armenian Catholics of Romania (Romanian:Ordinariatul Armeano-Catolic), based inGherla, is anordinariate for Eastern Catholic faithful that is part of theArmenian Catholic Church, itself under the authority of thePope. It serves Catholic members ofRomania'sArmenian community living inTransylvania.
At the end of the 17th century,Transylvania's Armenians converted to Catholicism, with the town of Gherla becoming the seat of their bishop.[1] A key role in this process was played by the missionaryOxendius Vărzărescu, who was named bishop in 1690 byPope Alexander VIII and served until his death in 1715. Subsequently, leadership of the community fell to theLatin Church Bishop of Transylvania.[2] Like theRomanian Greek-Catholic Church, the Armenians accepted basic Catholic principles while preserving their traditional rites and officiating liturgies in theArmenian language. By the time of theUnion of Transylvania with Romania in 1918, many of the region's Armenians had undergoneMagyarization. According to the terms of the 1927Concordat between Romania and theHoly See, the country's Armenian Catholics were recognised as a standalonediocese,[1] formally set up on June 5, 1930.[3][4]
After 1948, with the onset of theCommunist regime, the ordinariate had an unclear status in civil law, as it was no longer recognised by the authorities;[1] but, from the point of view of the Catholic Church, the ordinariate continued to exist and to be in the care of FatherZoltán Lengyel, apostolic administrator since 1939.[5] Its status changed in 1964, when a papal decree entrusted the pastoral care of the members of the ordinariate to theBishop of Alba Iulia.[1] The successive editions of theAnnuario Pontificio from 1965 to 1991 continued to list the ordinariate, but mentioned nobody as itsordinary or even as its apostolic administrator. Although the Romanian Secretariat of State for Denominations says that in 1991 the title of ordinary was given to the Archbishop of Alba Iulia,[1] Lajos Bálint, the Holy See'sAnnuario Pontificio shows that the apostolic administrator appointed in that year for the ordinariate was insteadGyörgy Jakubinyi, then an Auxiliary Bishop of Alba Iulia,[6] and that he retained that position after his elevation to Archbishop ofAlba Iulia in 1994.[3][7][8] The Holy See's action in 1991, occurring after thefall of the Communist regime, was taken without requesting recognition by the Romanian Government.[1]
At the end of 2013, the ordinariate had one parish each in Gherla,Gheorgheni,Dumbrăveni andFrumoasa, with members living elsewhere in Transylvania as well, for a total of 666 members served by four priests, an average of 166 Catholics per priest.[3][1]
Armenian Catholic Church hierarchy | ||
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| Patriarchate |  | |
| Metropolitan archeparchies (archdioceses) |
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| Non-metropolitan archeparchies | ||
| Eparchies | ||
| Apostolic exarchates |
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| Ordinariates for Eastern Catholic faithful | ||
| Patriarchal exarchates |
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| Titular Archeparchies |
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| Titular Eparchies |
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| Former circumscriptions | ||
| Latin dioceses | |
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| Romanian Greek Catholic eparchies | |
| Armenian Catholic jurisdictions | |
| Former dioceses | |
| See also | |
| State-recognised |
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| Semi-recognised (as a religious association, but not adenomination) | ||
| Not state-recognised | ||
| Others | ||
