Greek Catholic Diocese of Oradea Mare
Encyclopedia
The Greek Catholic diocese of Oradea Mare is the Eparchy
of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church for the area of Oradea
.
It was founded in 1777, followers of the Greek Rite having been up to that time under the jurisdiction of the Latin bishop. Originally the see was a suffragan of Esztergom
(Gran); when, however, in 1853 the Greek Catholic Diocese of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia became the Archdiocese of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia, the diocese of Oradea Mare was transferred to its jurisdiction. The see is divided into six archidiaconates and 19 vice-archidiaconates.
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church for the area of Oradea
Oradea
Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
.
It was founded in 1777, followers of the Greek Rite having been up to that time under the jurisdiction of the Latin bishop. Originally the see was a suffragan of Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
(Gran); when, however, in 1853 the Greek Catholic Diocese of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia became the Archdiocese of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia, the diocese of Oradea Mare was transferred to its jurisdiction. The see is divided into six archidiaconates and 19 vice-archidiaconates.
Bishops
The list of the eparch (bishops) of the Greek Catholic Diocese of Oradea Mare is:- Meletie Kovács (born 1707, converted to the Greek Catholic Church in 1736, reigned 1748–1775 as auxiliary bishop of the Latin bishop of Oradea)
- Moise Dragoş (born 1725, reigned 1775–1787, under his reign in 1777 the diocese became independent from the Latin bishop]
- Ignatie Darabant (born 1730, reigned 1788–1805)
- Samuil VulcanSamuil VulcanSamuil Vulcan was the Bishop of the Diocese of Oradea Mare of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church from 1806 to 1839.-Life:Vulcan was born on 1 August 1758 in Veza, a former village which has since been incorporated into Blaj town. He was ordained priest in 1784 and attended the Greek-Catholic...
(born 1758, reigned 1806–1839) - Vasile Erdelyi (born 1794, reigned 1842–1862)
- Iosif Papp-Szilágyi (Sălăjeanul) (born 1813, reigned 1863–1872)
- Ioan Olteanu (born 1839, reigned 1873–1877)
- Mihail Pavel (born 1827, reigned 1879–1902)
- Demetrie Radu (born 1861, reigned 1903–1920)
- Valeriu Traian Frenţiu (born 1875, reign started in 1922. In 1948 the Communist RomaniaCommunist RomaniaCommunist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
abolished the Greek Catholic Church. Frenţiu was persecuted and died in prison in 1952) - Iuliu Hirţe (born 1914, he was the clandestine bishop of Oradea from 1952. He passed many years in prison. Died in 1978)
- 1978–1990 vacant due to the persecution under the Communist Regime, till the Romanian Revolution of 1989Romanian Revolution of 1989The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
- 1978–1990 vacant due to the persecution under the Communist Regime, till the Romanian Revolution of 1989
- Vasile Hossu (born 1919, reigned 1990–1997)
- Virgil BerceaVirgil BerceaVirgil Bercea is the Bishop of the Diocese of Oradea Mare of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church since 1997.-Life:Virgil Bercea was born on 9 December 1957 in Habic, Mureş County, Romania. He studied in his town, and after the military service he attended the University of Agricultural Sciences and...
(born 1957, reigned 1997–incumbent)