Pope Leo remembers Cardinal Mureșan's exemplary witness under persecution

Vatican News

“I lift up my prayer for the soul of this good and attentive servant who, faithful to his motto, knew how to offer his life even in suffering, entrusting himself confidently to the Heavenly Father.”

Pope Leo XIV expressed these sentiments in his telegram of condolence following the death of Cardinal Lucian Mureșan on 25 September. The Cardinal, Major Archbishop of Fǎgǎraş and Alba Iulia of the Romanians, was 94 years old.

In the message addressed to the administrator of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, Cristian Dumitru Crişan, and to the members of the Synod of Bishops of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, the Pope expressed his "closeness to the priests and faithful" of the Greek-Catholic Church, of which the cardinal "was a father and guide," as well as to his family members and all those who mourn his passing.

“I give thanks to God for the exemplary witness of this faithful son of the Church, who did not waver even in times of persecution,” the Pope continues, recalling “with admiration the difficulties and humiliations courageously endured during the years of trial” by the Cardinal in Romania, as he continued “to serve Christ in pastoral ministry even at the risk of his own freedom.”

Pope Leo underscores how the “evangelical patience and dedication” that distinguished Cardinal Mureșan’s priesthood, noting that he “revealed an unshakable love for Christ and the Church, inspiring generations of the faithful.”

“I trust that, accompanied by the martyrs and blesseds of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church, he will be welcomed into the joy of the eternal kingdom,” the Pope concludes, sending his apostolic blessing to “those present at the funeral rites” of the Cardinal and to all who are experiencing the sorrow of his death.