Cristian Dumitru Crișan (born 11 October 1981) is a Romanian Greek Catholic hierarch as the Titular Bishop of Abula and

Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia since 2020.

Life

Cristian Dumitru Crișan was born in the village of Sântu in

Mureș County Mureș County (, , ) is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Transylvania, with the administrative centre in Târgu Mureș. The county was established in 1968, after the administrative reor ...

. He studied Theology at

Blaj Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Blußendref'') is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 17,816 inhabitants as of 2021. The city administers eight villages: Deleni-Obârșie ('' ...

and took a bachelor's degree in Theology at the

Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm The Anselmianum, also known as the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (; ) or simply ''Sant'Anselmo'', is a pontifical university in Rome associated with the Benedictines. It offers courses in philosophy, theology, liturgy, monastic studies, lan ...

in Rome. On 11 May 2008 he was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Alba-Iulia and Făgăraș. He has a degree in canon law at the "Utriusque Iuris" Institute of the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

, and in 2012 he obtained his doctorate at the same university. Also in 2012 Crișan was appointed as rector of the Greek Catholic mission in France, serving as the parish priest of the Romanian Catholic Church of Saint George in Paris. In 2013 he was appointed as the notary of the Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Catholic Church in Romania. The following year in 2014 Crișan was appointed as the defender of the connection in the Provincial Court of First Instance of the Archdiocese of Paris, and in 2016 he was appointed as a judge of the same court. From 2016 to 2017 he attended the masters courses at the Faculty of Education Sciences of the Catholic Institute in Paris, obtaining his second master's degree in co-tutorship with the University of Paris IV (Sorbonne). A year later, he obtained the "Emouna - l'amphi des religions" Certificate at the Institute of Political Science in Paris. On 9 April 2018, he was appointed by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

as the Apostolic Visitor for the Romanian Greek-Catholics in Western Europe, and on 11 October 2018, he was appointed National Coordinator for the pastorate of Romanian Greek-Catholics in Italy by the Italian Bishop's Conference. On 22 January 2020 he was confirmed by Pope Francis as the new auxiliary bishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia and titular bishop of Abula. At the age of 38 he became the youngest Catholic bishop in the world at the time. He was consecrated a bishop at the

Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Blaj The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity () in Blaj, Romania is a Romanian Greek Catholic cathedral commissioned by bishop Inocențiu Micu-Klein in 1738. The church was built by Viennese architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and ov ...

by Cardinal Lucian Mureșan on 21 June 2020.

Life

References

See also