Holy Synod of Romania Elects Assistant Bishop Benedict of Bistrița as New Bishop of Sălaj Diocese

Basilica News and OCP News Service – 30/03/2025

Bucharest-Romania: On March 27,2025, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church elected His Grace Bishop Benedict of Bistrița as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Sălaj.

The position became vacant in December 2024, after the local Synod of the Metropolis of Cluj, Maramureș, and Sălaj decided to suspend Bishop Petroniu.

Also running for the office was Archimandrite Samuel Cristea, professor and spiritual father at the Orthodox College “Metropolitan Nicolae Colan” in Cluj-Napoca.

• Background of Assistant Bishop Benedict of Bistrița

His Grace Benedict of Bistrița was born on February 13, 1984, in the village of Sartăș, Alba County, into the family of priest Ioan and presbytera Elena-Mărioara Vesa. Baptized with the name Valentin-Cosmin, he is the second of two sons, with an older brother, Marius-Ioan, who is an engineer.

• Monastic and Episcopal Service

Entering monastic life, he was tonsured a monk on January 17, 2015, at Nicula Monastery, receiving the name Benedict. His monastic godfather was Fr. Teofil Roman (currently Assistant Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal).

Bishop Benedict was elected Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac, and Cluj on his 36th birthday, February 13, 2020. His episcopal consecration took place ten days later, on February 23, at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Cluj-Napoca.

At the time of his ordination, he expressed his desire to be “a friend of young people” and committed to “labor with all his strength to fulfill this calling.”

• Academic Background and Work

Bishop Benedict graduated from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at “1 December 1918” University in Alba Iulia. He pursued further studies at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Switzerland (2009–2011), and the Theological Institute “Sant’Antonio Dottore” in Padua, Italy (2011–2012). He holds two doctoral degrees, which he earned at the universities of Cluj-Napoca and Padua.

An author of numerous books, studies, and articles, he is well-versed in classical languages such as Syriac, Greek, and Latin, as well as modern languages including English, French, and Italian. Since 2013, he has been a member of the Syriac Studies Association in Italy.

Currently, he serves as an associate professor at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Cluj-Napoca.

Source: Basilica News