On November 15, the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta, represented by His Excellency Roberto Musneci, Ambassador of the Order to Romania, had the pleasure of participating in a historic milestone for the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic.

In the Major Archiepiscopal Cathedral “Holy Trinity” in Blaj, the new Major Archbishop, His Beatitude Claudiu Lucian Pop, was enthroned. He is the first Major Archbishop ever elected in the history of this Byzantine-rite Catholic Church. The Romanian Church United with Rome was elevated to the rank of Major Archiepiscopal Church twenty years ago, in 2005, when its first Major Archbishop, the late Cardinal Lucian Mureșan, was raised from the rank of Metropolitan to that of Major Archbishop.

The enthronement of His Beatitude Claudiu Lucian Pop was presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches at the Vatican and Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Order of Malta. The letter in which the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, recognizes and blesses the election of the new Major Archbishop was read by His Excellency Cristian Dumitru Crișan, Auxiliary Bishop of the Greek-Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and Făgăraș.​

The ceremony was attended by Greek-Catholic and Roman Catholic bishops from this region of Europe, as well as high representatives of other Christian denominations in Romania: Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Reformed, Unitarian, and other Evangelical faiths. Also present were representatives of the Muslim faith and the Jewish community in the Romanian Parliament, represented by Deputy Silviu Vexler.

At the end of the ceremony, His Excellency Roberto Musneci KM declared: “I was delighted to meet again the President of the Senate of Romania, Mircea Abrudean, as well as the representatives of the President of Romania and those of the Government. May Almighty God bless the new mission entrusted to His Beatitude Claudiu Lucian Pop, a hierarch who has so often demonstrated goodwill to our Order.”