Hungarian Greek Catholics During the Bishopric of the Blessed Alexandru Rusu

This study examines the episcopate of Blessed Alexandru Rusu from the perspective of the Hungarian Greek Catholic communities, focusing on the ecclesiastical and identity transformations of the interwar period. Between 1930 and 1948, Bishop Rusu led the Eparchy of Maramureș in a political and social environment where the Romanian national ideal and state centralization posed challenges to minority communities. The situation of Hungarian Greek Catholics was shaped by the bishop’s personal connections, ecclesiastical diplomacy in Rome and Bucharest, and the evolution of Hungarian-Romanian relations. Sources reveal that Bishop Rusu sought to balance loyalty to the Romanian state with the preservation of the Greek Catholic Church’s multilingual and multiethnic character, while the participation and representation of Hungarian faithful gradually diminished. The analysis offers new perspectives for the study of the 20th-century history and identity formation of Hungarian Greek Catholics in Romania.