Catholic Church in Serbia
The Catholic Church in Serbia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are 356,957 Catholics in Serbia according to the 2011 census, which is roughly 5% of the population.[1] Roman Catholics are mostly concentrated in several municipalities in northern Vojvodina, and are mostly members of ethnic minorities, such as Hungarians and Croats.
Hierarchy
Within Serbia, the Latin Rite Catholic hierarchy consists of one archdiocese, three dioceses and one apostolic administration.
| Archdioceses and dioceses | Serbo-Croatian name | (Arch)bishop | Est. | Cathedral | Weblink |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archdiocese of Belgrade | Beogradska nadbiskupija | Stanislav Hočevar | 1914 | Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary Co-Cathedral of Christ the King |
|
| Diocese of Subotica | Subotička biskupija | János Pénzes | 1923 | Cathedral of Saint Teresa of Avila | |
| Diocese of Zrenjanin | Zrenjaninska biskupija | László Nemet | 1923 | Cathedral of St. John of Nepomuk | |
| Diocese of Syrmia | Srijemska biskupija | Đuro Gašparović | 2008 | Cathedral Basilica of St. Demetrius | |
| Apostolic Administration of Prizren | Apostolska administratura u Prizrenu | Dodë Gjergji | 2000 | Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour |
In addition, the Byzantine Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro was established in 2002 for Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in Serbia and Montenegro. In 2013, jurisdiction of the Apostolic Exarchate was reduced to Serbia only.[2]
The Diocese of Syrmia is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek in Croatia. Kosovo is a disputed territory that unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008; since 2000 it is under the Apostolic Administration of Prizren,[3] which also covers some Albanian-populated parts of southern Serbia.
Statistics
| census 1921.[4] | census 1991. | census 2002. | census 2011. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Catholics | 751.429 | 17.16 | 496.226 | 6.4 | 410.976 | 5.48 | 356.957 | 4.97 |
| Total population | 4.378.595 | 100 | 7.759.571 | 100 | 7.498.001 | 100 | 7.186.862 | 100 |
Bishops' Conference of St. Cyril and Methodius
The International Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius is the International Catholic Episcopal Conference that includes Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia. Permanent members are the Catholic bishops and archbishops from the four countries. Two bishops are authorized (Apostolic Exarchate) for jurisdictional districts of the Byzantine rite. As of 2012, the Chairman of the Conference is the Archbishop of Bar Zef Gashi. The conference is a member of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences.
Notes
- ↑ See: Demographics of Serbia
- ↑ INTERNATIONAL BISHOPS' CONFERENCE OF ST. CYRIL AND METHODIUS: APOSTOLIC EXARCHATE OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO (BYZANTINE)
- ↑ INTERNATIONAL BISHOPS' CONFERENCE OF ST. CYRIL AND METHODIUS: APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATION OF PRIZREN
- ↑ http://www.rastko.rs/istorija/srbi-balkan/sradovanovic-demography.html