Florentin Crihălmeanu (17 September 1959 – 12 January 2021) was a Romanian Greek Catholic hierarch.

Life

Born in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

to a Greek-Catholic father and a Roman Catholic mother, he graduated from high school in

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

in 1978. He performed his military service in

Turda Turda (; , ; ; ) is a Municipiu, city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the European route E81, and from nearby Câmpia ...

in 1978–79. In 1984, he graduated from the

Technical University of Cluj-Napoca Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (UTCN short for ) is a public university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It was founded in 1948, based on the older ''Industrial College'' (1920). The Technical University of Cluj-Napoca is classified by the ...

, working as an engineer until 1990 first in

Bistrița (; , archaic , Transylvanian Saxon: , ) is the capital city of Bistrița-Năsăud County, in northern Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistrița River. The city has a population of 78,877 inhabitants as of 2021 and administers s ...

and then in Cluj-Napoca. He began private theological lessons in 1986 and was ordained priest in September 1990, following the collapse of the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

and legalization of the church. Sent to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to deepen his studies, he took degrees in Theology in 1992 and 1994 from the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...

. Upon returning to Romania, he taught courses at the seminary in Cluj-Napoca and at

Babeș-Bolyai University The Babeș-Bolyai University ( , , commonly known as UBB) is a public research university located in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Established in 1581 as Academia Claudiopolitana, it underwent several reorganizations over the centuries, eventually taking ...

. He was named auxiliary bishop of the

Cluj-Gherla Diocese The Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla is an eparchy (equivalent to a diocese in the Latin Church) of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church which is an Eastern Catholic particular church of the Catholic Church that is in full communion with th ...

in November 1996, with his consecration taking place the following January, performed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

. In 2002, he became Bishop of Cluj-Gherla, succeeding George Guțiu.PS Florentin Crihălmeanu
at the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic site; accessed May 28, 2012 Crihălmeanu died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

in January 2021, at the age of 61, amid the

COVID-19 pandemic in Romania Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Horea Stoica
“A murit episcopul Florentin Crihălmeanu, infectat cu Covid-19”
''Știri de Cluj''; January 12, 2021

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crihalmeanu, Florentin 1959 births People from Iași Romanian engineers Technical University of Cluj-Napoca alumni Pontifical Urban University alumni Romanian Greek-Catholic bishops 2021 deaths Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania Eastern Catholic bishops in Romania