Gergely Kovács (born July 21, 1968, Târgu Secuiesc, Romania) is the current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia.

Biography

Gergely Kovács was born on July 21, 1968, in Târgu Secuiesc. Kovács studied at the Roman Catholic Theological Institute in Alba Iulia from 1987 until 1990. After the

Romanian Revolution of 1989 The Romanian revolution () was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily within the Eastern Bloc. The Romanian revoluti ...

his bishop sent him to study in Rome. Already in Rome, he stayed at the Pontifical German-Hungarian College (1990–1996), remaining at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

until 1992. He was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia on July 3, 1993, by Archbishop Lajos Bálint. Kovács continued his studies in Rome, where he obtained a degree in

Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

in 1994 and a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1996. He was a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in Târgu Mureș. Since 1997 he has been in the service of the Holy See, working in the

Pontifical Council for Culture The Pontifical Council for Culture () was a dicastery of the Roman Curia charged with fostering the relationship of the Catholic Church with different cultures. It was erected by Pope John Paul II on 20 May 1982 and in 1993 he merged the Po ...

. Since 24 July 2000 he was awarded the title of

Chaplain of His Holiness Chaplain of His Holiness is a title of distinction given by the Pope in recognition of a priest's service to the Church. They are addressed with the honorific of "Monsignor" and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and ve ...

. Since 2007 he has been director of the Pontifical Council for Culture. During his time in Rome, Kovács also collaborated with the

Congregation for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regard ...

and the

Rota Romana The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota (), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin Church members and the Eastern Catholic m ...

Tribunal, being also the postulator of the cause of

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

Áron Márton Áron Márton (28 August 1896 – 29 September 1980) was an ethnic Hungarian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Alba Iulia from his appointment in late 1938 until his resignation in 1980. He served as a prelate during a tumult ...

. Kovács was named by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

archbishop of Alba Iulia on December 24, 2019 and his episcopal ordination took place on February 22, 2020, in St. Michael's Cathedral in Alba Iulia by the hands of

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Gianfranco Ravasi, chairman of the Pontifical Council for Culture. On September 2, 2020, Kovács was appointed

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Romania for Armenian Catholics.

References

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy

Gergely Kovács on Roma integration in Romania (TV recording in Italian, on the occasion of Pope Francis' visit to Romania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovacs, Gregely 1968 births Living people People from Târgu Secuiesc Pontifical Lateran University alumni Romanian Roman Catholic archbishops Romanian religious leaders of Hungarian descent Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum alumni