On 11 December 2024, a Holy Mass was held at St. Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest to solemnly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the episcopal ordinance of Archbishop Aurel Percă, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest.

The ceremony was attended by hundreds of faithful and more than 130 priests from all over Romania; as well as many of the Romanian Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic bishops; the Archbishop Emeritus and member of the Order of Malta, HE Ioan Robu; Father Varlaam Ploieșteanul, Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church; HE Rafael Shaffer, the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Communities in Romania; HE Murat Iusuf, the Mufti of the Muslim Community in Romania; and the Secretary of State for Religious Affairs, Mr. Vasile Olinici.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Romania and Moldova, HE Archbishop Giampiero Gloder, delivered a message from His Holiness Pope Francis, congratulating the Metropolitan Archbishop on this important occasion. The Chief Rabbi and the Mufti both conveyed their congratulations, expressing their appreciation for the warm relations shared, and referred to the continued need for humanity, compassion, and interfaith unity in the world today.

The Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Romania, HE Roberto Musneci, was joined by other members of the Order, who attended both the Holy Mass and the lunch that followed the ceremony.

After the event Ambassador Musneci declared, “It was a great honour to have been invited by HE Archbishop Percă to this formal—but also deeply personal—event. It is remarkable how many expressions of personal affection and respect were shared about Archbishop Percă.” The Ambassador added, “The messages of unity from leaders of the religious communities struck a chord, who shared their reflections on the need of responsibility, openness, and peace at this difficult juncture.”