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Benedict

Bishop of Sălaj
PS Benedict Bistrițeanul

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

  • He was born on 13 February 1984, son of Ioan and Elena-Mărioara Vesa, in the village of Sartăș, Baia de Arieș town, Alba County. He was baptised Valentin-Cosmin.

 

TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • 1999-2004 – student at the Orthodox High Theological Seminary “Mitropolit Simion Ștefan” in Alba Iulia;
  • 2004-2008 – attends Bachelor’s degree courses at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the “1 Decembrie 1918” University, Alba Iulia;
  • 2008-2010 – attending the MA in Systematic Orthodox Theology at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the “1 Decembrie 1918” University, Alba Iulia, completed with the dissertation entitled: Misericordias tuas, Domine, in aeternum cantabo, etiam in inferis. Scurtă introducere în teologia Sfântului Isaac Sirul (Misericordias tuas, Domine, in aeternum cantabo, etiam in inferis. Short introduction to the theology of St. Isaac Sirul);
  • 2008-2009 – collaborator of the Centre for Mission and Youth of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia;
  • 2008-2012 – editor of the magazine Credința străbună of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and editor of the Reîntregirea Publishing House of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia;
  • 2009-2011 – Attends the MA programme in Ecumenical Theology at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey (Faculty of Protestant Theology of the University of Geneva, Switzerland), where he defends his dissertation entitled Doing Ecumenical Theology from a Spiritual Perspective – The Theology of Incarnation and Eschatology of St. Isaac the Syrian and St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Comparative Study, under the coordination of Rev. Fr. prof. Ioan Sauca, director of the Institute;
  • 2011-2012 – PhD studies at the Instituto Teologico “Sant’Antonio Dottore” in Padua (Italy);
  • 2010-2013 – PhD studies in Orthodox Theology at the University “1 Decembrie 1918” in Alba Iulia, being transferred in 2012 to the University “Babeș-Bolyai” in Cluj-Napoca, under the guidance of His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj;
  • 2012-2016 – PhD in Historical and Historical-Religious Studies at the University of Padua (Italy);
  • 2012-2020 – diocesan secretary of the Metropolitanate of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj;
  • 2013 – PhD thesis at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Cluj-Napoca, entitled Cunoaşterea lui Dumnezeu la Sfântul Isaac Sirul. Itinerariul spiritual de la “dreptatea ascetică” la „dragostea duhovnicească (The Knowledge of God in St Isaak the Syrian. Spiritual Itinerary from ‘Ascetic Justice’ to ‘Spiritual Love’);
  • 2014-2016 – assistant at the Department of Orthodox Spirituality at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the “Babeș- Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca;
  • 17 January 2015 – was tonsured into monasticism at the Nicula Monastery, with Father Teofil Roman (now His Grace Teofil, Assistant-Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of Spain and Portugal) as his godfather, and was given the name Benedict;
  • 24 January 2015 – he is ordained hierodeacon by His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj-Napoca;
  • 30 January 2015 – he is ordained hieromonk by His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj-Napoca, as a clergyman of the Cathedral;
  • 1 January 2016 – he is elevated to the rank of protosyncellus by His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj-Napoca;
  • 2016 – PhD thesis at the Doctoral School of History of the University of Padua, entitled The Doctrine of Knowledge in Isaac of Nineveh and the East Syriac Theology of the 7-8th Century, under the supervision of prof. dr. Paolo Bettiolo;
  • Since 2016 he has been a lecturer within the Department of Orthodox Spirituality of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the “Babes-Bolyai” University, Cluj- Napoca;
  • 25 December 2017 – ordained archimandrite by His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj-Napoca;
  • 13 February 2020 – elected by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as Assistant-Bishop of the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj, with the title of Bistrițeanul (of Bistrița), being consecrated on 23 February 2020 by His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, together with several hierarchs, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj-Napoca;
  • Since 2021 he has been a lecturer in the Department of Orthodox Spirituality at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the “Babeș-Bolyai” University of Cluj-Napoca.
  • 27 March 2025: he is elected by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the position of Bishop of Sălaj;
  • 6 April 2025: he is enthroned as Bishop of Sălaj in the Episcopal Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord in Zalău, by His Eminence Andrei, Archbishop of Vad, Feleac and Cluj and Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, surrounded by a host of hierarchs.