Ioan Duma (November 5, 1896 — July 16, 1981) was a Romanian cleric and a titular bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Born in Valea Mare, Bacău County, he studied at the Franciscan seminary in Hălăucești and in Rome. Ordained there in 1924, he returned to Romania to serve in the parishes at

Săbăoani Săbăoani ( hu, Szabófalva) is a commune in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Săbăoani and Traian. In 2002, the commune had a population of 10,301, of whom all but four were declared ethnic Romanians. 98 ...

and Hălăucești, also teaching at the seminary in the latter place, and officiating at Franciscan convents in Transylvania in 1944. In 1948, nuncio Gerald Patrick O'Hara consecrated him bishop in secret, without the approval of the new communist authorities. For the next two years, he undertook activities against the regime, and was arrested in 1951 by the '' Securitate'' secret police. Sentenced to four years' imprisonment for "spying on behalf of the Vatican", he was released when his term expired in 1955 and forced to live and work as a parish priest first in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

, then in Mihail Kogălniceanu, Constanța County. In 1957, he was nearly arrested again, an order to the effect having been signed by

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Alexandru Drăghici Alexandru Drăghici (; September 27, 1913 – December 12, 1993) was a Romanian communist activist and politician. He was Interior Minister in 1952 and from 1957 to 1965, and State Security Minister from 1952 to 1957. In these capacities, he exerci ...

. A year later, he was investigated after attending his mother's funeral near his native village, his personal papers confiscated. In 1960, wishing to isolate and watch him more closely, the ''Securitate'' sent him to live at Târgu Jiu. In 1971, he was allowed to visit Pope Paul VI in Rome. He was no longer under supervision after 1975, as the ''Securitate'' considered the aged and ill prelate no longer posed a threat. He died in Târgu Jiu and was buried in Valea Mare. Dănuț Doboș
Figuri ilustre: Ep. Ioan Duma
(December 2010) at the Iași Roman Catholic Diocese site; accessed May 11, 2012

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duma, Ioan 1896 births 1981 deaths People from Bacău County Romanian Franciscans 20th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops Romanian anti-communist clergy Romanian prisoners and detainees People detained by the Securitate 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Romania