Pope Francis has accepted the invitation to be an honorary member of the Romanian Academy, after having met with a delegation of the Academy on Wednesday morning, November 8, at the Vatican.

A delegation of the Romanian Academy is currently on an official visit to the Vatican. The visit will end on November 13.

Pope Francis accepted the high honor offered by the Romanian Academy “out of friendship for Romania,” and the academic emblems will be sent through the Apostolic Nunciature, according to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bucharest, reports local News.ro.

Pope Francis is the second Pontiff of the Catholic Church elected honorary member of the Romanian Academy, after Pope John Paul II, who became an honorary member in 2001.

His Holiness is expected to visit Romania next year. He received official invitations from the Romanian Presidency and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

In early May this year, Ioan Robu, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest, said it’s“almost certain” that the Pope will visit Romania in 2018. According to him, Pope Francis’ visit to Romania will coincide with the ceremony of beatification of seven Greek-Catholic martyrs who lost their lives during the communist regime between 1950-1970.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis also said in late March that he believes that His Holiness Pope Francis will come to Romania in 2018. Present in Rome for the special summit marking 60 years since the Treaty of Rome was signed, Iohannis and other EU leaders were received in an audience by Pope Francis. That was when the Romanian President invited His Holiness to Romania once again.

If he decides to come to Romania, Pope Francis would be the second pontiff to visit the country after Pope John Paul II’s visit in May 1999.

Pope Francis visits Orthodox Romanian family

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Wikimedia)