Romanian Parliament Declares Protopop Aurel Munteanu Hero and Martyr

The Romanian Parliament passed a law, later promulgated by President Nicușor Dan and published in the Official Gazette (Part I, No. 596/21 VII 2026), designating Protopop Aurel Munteanu of Huedin as a "hero and martyr of the Romanian nation." The legislation recognises his cultural, national and ecclesiastical work in the Huedin and Vlădeasa Mountains region, and his death on 10 September 1940 after the Horthy regime took power. It also establishes 10 September as the official "Day of the Martyrs of Huedin," commemorating Munteanu, gendarme Gheorghe Nicula, and other locals who lost their lives.

Munteanu was born on 2 May 1882 in Merghindeal, Sibiu County, ordained in 1907, participated in the 1918 Alba Iulia Great National Assembly, and became the first protopop of Huedin in 1923. He oversaw cultural and spiritual initiatives, including the construction of the "Moţi Cathedral" in Huedin, and represented the region in the Romanian Parliament. The law formalises his legacy and the annual remembrance of the 1940 martyrdom.