Romania: Bishops’ meeting. Hoping in the Pope’s visit and expectation for the beatification of seven martyred prelates

Pope Francis’ potential visit to Romania and expectation for the beatification of the seven Greek Catholic bishops martyred under the Communist regime are at the centre of the plenary meeting of the Rumanian Bishops Conference, started in Cluj-Napoca today. There are 15 bishops from the 12 dioceses and eparchies of the Catholic Church in Romania, the apostolic nuncio to Romania, mgr. Miguel Muary Buendía, and the bishop of Chisinau, Moldavia, mgr. Anton Coşa. Over these days, items in the Bishops’ agenda include quite a few issues that concern the life of the local Church, as well as social and pastoral initiatives and projects. On Thursday, May 4^th, the Bishops will officiate Mass in the Romanian Byzantine rite in the Greek Catholic cathedral of the Transfiguration and on Friday in the Latin rite in the Roman Catholic cathedral of St Michel’s. The meeting will end on Friday, May 5^th, when the Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla, the assembly’s guest, announced it will give a press conference. The Pope was officially invited by the Romanian Bishops last year, as well as by the Romanian President, Klaus Werner Johannis, even if the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has not publicly taken any position on it yet. In addition, the Romanian Catholics are waiting for the Holy See to take a decision about the cause for the beatification of the Greek Catholic Bishops Valeriu Traian Frențiu, Iuliu Hossu, Alexandru Rusu, Ioan Bălan, Ioan Suciu, Vasile Aftenie and Tit Liviu Chinezu, and there are people who hope the Pope himself will raise them to the honours of the altar.