Where and when Pope Francis pays homage to Romania / how many Roman Catholics there are in the country
Believers and Catholic priests in procession with the relic SF Pope Ioan Paul II to St. Joseph Cathedral, October 20, 2019.
In Romania, the Romanian-Catholic community is preparing to bring Pope Francis a last tribute through special prayer celebrations. The first official job announced will take place on Monday evening, in Bucharest.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest has transmitted that, starting at 6:30 pm, a Liturgy with Prohod, presided over by the Aurel Percă, archbishop Metropolitan, will be officiated at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph.
After the liturgy, a wake of prayer will follow, with the recitation of the Holy Rosary and the Crown of the Divine merchandise.
The event will be broadcast live by Angelus TV Romania.
And in the Roman Catholic diocese of Iași, special prayer moments are in preparation. The representatives of the Episcopate told Hotnews.ro that they set the data for special prayers in the Cathedral in Iași, mentioning that it is “a period of mourning” for the entire Catholic Church.
The exact program is to be announced.
Over 740,000 Roman Catholics in Romania
According to the data of the 2021 census, in Romania there are 741,276 people who declared themselves Roman Catholics, that is about 4.5% of the population. This marks a significant decrease from the 2011 census, when 870,774 people identified as Roman Catholics, indicating a decrease of over 100,000 believers over a decade.
The Roman Catholic Church in Romania is organized in seven dioceses, two of which are archdiocese: Bucharest and Alba Iulia. The Archdiocese of Bucharest has a metropolis status and coordinates the diocese in the south and west of the country, while the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia mainly serves the Hungarian Catholic communities in central Transylvania. The other important dioceses are Iasi, Oradea, Timișoara, Satu Mare and Baia Mare.
