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