Archbishop Emeritus Jakubinyi György was solemnly celebrated in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Michael in Alba Iulia, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The event was attended by hundreds of priests, consecrated persons, and faithful from all over Transylvania, led by Catholic bishops, including the president of the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Romania, His Excellency Böcskei László, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oradea, and His Excellency Aurel Percă, Roman Catholic Metropolitan and Archbishop of Bucharest. The host was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Alba Iulia, His Excellency Kovács Gergely.

The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek Catholic, was represented by His Beatitude Claudiu Lucian Pop, Major Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and Făgăraș and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cluj-Gherla. His Excellency Archbishop Giampiero Gloder, Apostolic Nuncio to Romania and the Republic of Moldova, delivered a message of congratulations from His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.

The Sovereign Order of Malta was represented by a delegation of dames and knights, led by the hospitaller of the Romanian Association of the Order, Knight Denes Mihály, accompanied by the vice-president of the Cluj County Council, Vákár István, who is also a member of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Two priests who are members of the Order, Father Veres Stelian, chaplain, and Father Gabriel Popa, chief chaplain, also concelebrated at the event.

His Excellency Archbishop Emeritus Jakubinyi György thanked all those present at the solemn liturgy and recalled the psalms from the Old Testament dedicated to people who reach a beautiful and advanced age. From 1994 to 2019, the high-ranking cleric was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Alba Iulia and Exarch of the Armenian Catholics in Romania. From 1990 to 1994, he was Auxiliary Bishop of Alba Iulia. He is known as a refined intellectual, a powerful preacher, and a generous and courageous man.

The Embassy and Members of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Romania send Archbishop Jakubinyi György their warmest wishes: Many happy and blessed years!