Alexandru Rusu was a Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop born in 1884 in Șăulia. After being ordained a priest in 1910, he was appointed as the Bishop of Maramureș in 1931. He later became the Major Archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia in 1946, though this leadership role was not recognized by the communist government. Following the outlawing of his church, he faced arrest and imprisonment by the state authorities.
Life and imprisonment
Following his arrest in 1948, Rusu was held in various monasteries and Sighet prison. In 1957, a military tribunal convicted him of high treason and instigation. He received a twenty-five year sentence and was moved to Gherla prison, where he died from illness in 1963. His life was marked by the struggle of leading his church during a period of intense political repression.
Veneration
In 2019, Pope Francis beatified Rusu along with six other Greek-Catholic bishops who died as political prisoners under the communist regime. This ceremony took place at Liberty Field in Blaj, Romania, on 2 June. He is commemorated as a blessed figure within the Catholic tradition, with his feast day observed on 2 June or 9 May.