- Atanasie Anghel
Atanasie Anghel, (? - † 19 august 1713, Alba Iulia) was a Romanian
Greek-Catholic bishop ofAlba Iulia between 1698 and 1713. He was the successor toTeofil Seremi in the seat of Mitropoliei Bălgradului (Alba-Iulia ). Through his continued efforts, he perfected the union of theRomanian Transylvanians with the Church of Rome.Life
He was the son of a priest from
Bobâlna (today inHunedoara county ).First synod of Alba Iulia
In 1698 he convened the "Union
Synod " in Alba Iulia. The Act of Union with the Catholic Church was signed not only by Atanasie Anghel, but by all members of the Synod (38 districtprotopope s and 2270 priests), and sealed with the seal of the Metroploitan Archbishopric ofAlba Iulia ("Mitropolia Bălgradului" in oldRomanian language ). TheDiet of Transylvania, controlled by Protestants, did not look favorably upon the confessional issues of the Romanian people. Large land holders began to persecute the new RomanianGreek-Catholic priests, a situation which Atanasie Anghel had to cope with. Protestant noblemen encouraged revolts among peasants opposed to joining the Catholic Church.First synod of Alba Iulia
Under these circumstances, the bishop Atanasie Anghel convened a new synod, also held at Alba-Iulia on 4 September 1700. This was attended not only by protopopi and priests, but also by 3 laymen delegates from each Romanian village. The 54 protopopi, together with the priests and all the delegations present, signed a new act which reinforced the decision of the synod of 1698, reaffirming religious unification of Romanians in Transylvania with the Catholic Church.
For Greek-Catholic bishop Atanasie Anghel, there followed years of hardship, being attacked by
Calvinists and theArchdiocese of Bucharest. Atanasie was summoned toVienna to give explanations. Under these circumstances, on 7 April 1701 he made a statement that he no longer recognised the Archbishop of Bucharest as his superior.ee also
Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic ources
Most material has been translated from the eponymous article on the Romanian-language wikipedia.
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