The youngest Orthodox priest was ordained bishop in the Church of Romania.
Newly-elected Bishop Benedict of Bistrita was enthroned immediately after his ordination as Exarch in the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj. Metropolitan Andrei of Cluj, Alba, Crișana and Maramureș performed the ordination at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Virgin Mary in the city of Cluj. The ordination was concelebrated by many Bishops of the Church of Romania.
Addressing Bishop Benedict, Metropolitan Andrei said, “You must have all the virtues of a Bishop so as to serve Jesus Christ in his house.” We hope that, through your spiritual life, you will be able to astonish those around you. We pray to God that our harmonious cooperation will be for the benefit of the clergy and the faithful of our Archdiocese.” He also offered him a blessed cross on behalf of Patriarch Daniel of Bucharest.
Finally, the newly elected bishop thanked God for the responsibility he has taken on and said: “I am grateful to our Patriarch Daniel and to the Holy Synod, who elected me Hierarch. Despite my young age, I am sure that it is a gift from God for better cooperation with the youth. I deem my ministry as a supreme responsibility in the world. I start this new path of my life with hope and I am asking all of you to pray.”
