Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vrhbosna
Encyclopedia
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in eastern Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. Its episcopal see is the city of Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. It was elevated to an archdiocese on July 5, 1881. The Diocese of Vrhbosna is much older and was formed in the 11th century. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje
Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje , is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Macedonia. From the 4th century to 1656, when it was renamed to Archdiocese of Skopje, it was known as the Archdiocese of Dardania. In 1969 along with the diocese of Prizren, it formed the Diocese...
is a suffragan of the Archdiocese.
Vrhbosna's cathedral is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Cathedral of Jesus' Heart
The Cathedral of Jesus' Heart in Sarajevo, commonly referred as the Sarajevo Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the seat of the Vrhbosanski Archbishop, currently Cardinal Vinko Puljić, and center of Catholic worship in the city...
in Sarajevo. Cardinal Vinko Puljić
Vinko Puljic
Vinko Puljić is a Bosnian Croat Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the sixth and current Archbishop of Vrhbosna, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1994.-Early life and education:...
currently serves as the archbishop of the archdiocese. Bishop Pero Sudar serves as the auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
.
Vinko Puljić has had many serious issues to deal with since becoming archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
in 1990. First, he had to deal with the Bosnian War which resulted in the Siege of Sarajevo
Siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996 during the Bosnian War.After Bosnia...
on the archdiocese's home. In the war's aftermath, repairs had to be completed to many damaged churches and chapels. However, the biggest struggle has been the exodus of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n Catholics from the region during the war. The Catholic population in the diocese is less than half of what it was before the conflict. Although it has slightly rebounded, it has been an uphill struggle for the church.
Archbishops and coadjutors
Archbishops:- Josip StadlerJosip StadlerJosip Stadler was a Croatian priest, the first modern archbishop of Vrhbosna and the founded of the religious order of the Servants of the Infant Jesus . He is a candidate for sainthood....
(1881-1918) - Ivan ŠarićIvan ŠaricIvan Šarić was a Roman Catholic priest who became the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vrhbosna in 1922...
(1922-1945) Exiled in 1945. Held the title until his death in 1960. - Marko Alaupović (1960-1970)
- Smiljan Franjo Čekada (1970-1976)
- Marko Jozinović (1977-1990)
- Vinko PuljićVinko PuljicVinko Puljić is a Bosnian Croat Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the sixth and current Archbishop of Vrhbosna, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1994.-Early life and education:...
(1990-present)
Coadjutors:
- Anton Bonaventura Jeglič (1897-1898)
- Ivan ŠarićIvan ŠaricIvan Šarić was a Roman Catholic priest who became the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vrhbosna in 1922...
(1908-1922) - Smiljan Franjo Čekada (1939-1940)
- Marko Alaupović (1950-1960)
- Tomislav Jablanović (1970-1986)
- Pero Sudar (1993-present)