His Holiness Aurel Perca becomes Metropolitan of the Roman-Catholic Church of Romania

Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, Aurel Perca, on Saturday was invested as Metropolitan of the Roman Catholic Church of Romania, at the St. Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest. "The Pallium has been blessed by Pope Francis on June 9 at the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and granted to His Holiness Aurel Perca by the Apostolic Nuncio to Romania, Monseigneur Miguel Maury Buendia, at the beginning of the Holy Liturgy, at 10.30 am, at the Metropolitan Cathedral in the Romanian Capital City. Participating in the ceremony were numerous priests and faithful of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, bishops of the suffragan dioceses, other bishops and priests who were also invited, representatives of the civil authorities and of other churches and religious cults in Romania," showed a press release of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest. On this occasion, His Holiness Maury Buendia explained the signification of this liturgical insignia specific to the metropolitans, underscoring at the same time the special connection that the Metropolitan and the Holy Father Pope Francis share, and the communion with the Church of Rome, as well as the authority that the Metropolitan acquires thus by right in his jurisdiction. He also blessed everybody in attendance on behalf of Pope Francis and brought to mind that His Holiness Aurel Perca took over the leadership of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest in January this year. "His Holiness Aurel has proven his communion with the Holy Father and the Universal Church, by renewing his profession of faith and oath of allegiance, according to the rules of the Church of Rome. (...) Then, Monseigneur Miguel Maury Buendia fixed the three jewelled pins into the silk crosses stitched to the Pallium - namely into the cross on the chest, the one on the back and the one on the left shoulder - symbolizing three nails that were used to crucify Jesus Christ," reads the same release. At the end of the ceremony, the Apostolic Nuncio and His Holiness Aurel Perca signed the profession of faith and the oath of allegiance submitted by the Metropolitan of Bucharest at the beginning of the ritual. AGERPRES (RO - editor: George Onea; EN - editor: Cristina Zaharia)

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