90-year-old Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Rădăuți reposes in the Lord

Archbishop Pimen of Suceava and Rădăuți reposed in the Lord on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at the Matei Balș Infectious Diseases Institute in Bucharest following a second heart attack.

The archbishop died at 0:50 a.m.

The 90-year-old Romanian Archbishop was transported to Bucharest by helicopter on April 20 after testing positive for the new coronavirus. Following pulmonary complications, the archbishop was intubated.

Archbishop Pimen was born on August 25, 1929, in Greabănu, Buzau County, receiving the name of St Basil the Great at his baptism.

He attended the Orthodox Seminary at Neamt Monastery. He was tonsured a monk on March 10, 1951, receiving the name of Pimen and on June 29 he was ordained to the diaconate.

He studied theology at the Theological Institute in Bucharest between 1953 and 1957.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1957. He studied the German language at the University of Köln between October 10, 1976, and January 1, 1977. 

He was appointed abbot of Putna Monastery, which he led from 1957 to 1961.

He was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in 1975, during his stewardship as abbot of St John the New Monastery in Suceava.

He served as an official representative of the Romanian Patriarchate to Jerusalem for a short period in 1978.

After serving as exarch for monasteries within the Archdiocese of Iasi, archimandrite Pimen was elected by the Holy Synod as assistant bishop to the Iasi Archdiocese. He was ordained to the episcopate on June 24, 1982.

After the re-establishment of the Archdiocese of Suceava, he was elected Archbishop and enthroned in Suceava on March 3, 1991.

On his 90th birthday, the city hall of Suceava named a street to honour Archbishop Pimen.

 His Eminence led the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti for 29 years.

May his memory be eternal!

Photography courtesy of Basilica.ro / Raluca Ene

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