During its working session on Wednesday at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church elected two new auxiliary bishops to serve in key archiepiscopal sees, according to Orthodox Times.
Archimandrite Samuel Cristea was chosen as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac, and Cluj. Father Samuel is currently a professor and spiritual father at the Orthodox College “Mitropolitul Nicolae Colan” in Cluj-Napoca. Since 2015, he has served as the president of the Metropolitan Monastic Consistory of the Metropolis of Cluj, Maramureș, and Sălaj.
In addition, Archimandrite Theophil Anăstăsoaie was elected Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacău. Archimandrite Theophil is well known for his role as the Representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to the Holy Places, serving near the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and as the Superior of the Romanian establishments in Jerusalem, Jordan, and Jericho. He is especially recognized for bringing the Holy Light from the Tomb of Christ in Jerusalem to Romanian faithful each year during the Easter celebrations.
Archimandrite Theophil was first appointed to his current position in 2015, after serving one year as the Great Ecclesiarch of the Patriarchal Cathedral.
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