Ordinariate for Armenian Catholics of Romania

At the end of the 17th century, Transylvania's Armenians converted to Catholicism, with the town of Gherla becoming the seat of their bishop.

[1] A key role in this process was played by the missionary Oxendius Vărzărescu, who was named bishop in 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII and served until his death in 1715.

According to the terms of the 1927 Concordat between Romania and the Holy See, the country's Armenian Catholics were recognised as a standalone diocese,[1] formally set up on June 5, 1930.

[5] Its status changed in 1964, when a papal decree entrusted the pastoral care of the members of the ordinariate to the Bishop of Alba Iulia.

[3][7][8] The Holy See's action in 1991, occurring after the fall of the Communist regime, was taken without requesting recognition by the Romanian Government.