Cardinal Lucian Muresan, Major Archbishop of the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek Catholic, and Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and Fagaras will be buried on Monday, in Blaj.
He died on Thursday, at the age of 94.
President Nicusor Dan will also attend the funeral ceremony, scheduled for 12:45.
On Monday, starting at 10:45, a procession will set off from the Curia of the Major Archdiocese to the "Holy Trinity" Cathedral in Blaj. At 11:00, in the "Holy Trinity" Cathedral, the Holy and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated, in the presence of His Eminence Claudio Cardinal Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, His Excellency Giampero Gloder, Apostolic Nuncio, the Synod of Bishops of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church United with Rome, the Roman Catholic bishops from Romania, numerous hierarchs and delegates from abroad, as well as civil and military authorities.
President Nicusor Dan sent a message on Thursday, upon the death of Cardinal Lucian Muresan.
"In the mourning Blaj, in these particularly sad moments for the entire Romanian Greek-Catholic Church United with Rome, I wish to convey my condolences to all the faithful under the pastorate of His Beatitude," the president said.
He added that the memory of Cardinal Lucian "remains closely linked to the tumultuous history of the Church that he shepherded for many years, with wisdom, balance and a generous openness to dialogue between confessions and religions, between the Church and society."
"Faithful to the teachings and traditions of the Christian Church, but also attentive to the challenges of contemporary times, animated by immense compassion for his fellow men whom he guided on the path of faith and to whom he remained close in their suffering and in their effort to deepen the mystery of Christian life, Cardinal Lucian Muresan completed the constellation of those who served the faith and conscience of the Romanian nation. Through his courage in times of persecution and through his involvement in the institutional and spiritual reconstruction of the Church, he became an emblematic figure for the rebirth of the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania", the head of state pointed out.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan gathered, in the "Holy Trinity" Archbishopric Cathedral in Blaj, at the catafalque where the coffin with the lifeless body of Cardinal Lucian Muresan was laid.
"I am here as a sign of respect for the personality and life of Cardinal Mure?an, may God rest his soul, as a sign of respect for the Greek Catholic Church, for everything this Church has done for our country and out of respect for the Greek Catholic community in Romania," Ilie Bolojan told the press upon leaving the Cathedral.
The Blaj Local Council adopted, on Friday, in an extraordinary meeting, a decision declaring Monday, September 29, as a day of local mourning within the municipality of Blaj, as a sign of respect and homage to Cardinal Lucian Muresan.
Thus, on Monday, the national flag and the insignia of the municipality of Blaj will be hoisted at the headquarters of public institutions and local public authorities throughout the municipality of Blaj.
It is also recommended that educational institutions, places of worship and cultural institutions within the municipality of Blaj organize moments of silence and commemorative activities.
Also on Monday, sports or cultural-artistic activities will be prohibited within the municipality of Blaj, and individuals and legal entities are recommended to adopt a sober conduct.
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