Roman Catholicism in Montenegro
Encyclopedia
The Catholic Church in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
is a part of the worldwide 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...
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. There are 21, 299 Catholics in Montenegro, and they form three and a half percent of the population. Most Roman Catholics are ethnic Albanians
Albanians in Montenegro
Albanians in Montenegro constitute 4.91% of the county's total population. They mainly live in South-Eastern Montenegro, in the region commonly known as Malesija as well as in the municipality of Ulcinj .-Geography:...
and Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
as well as some Montenegrins.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Montenegro and to 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...
is 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...
Alessandro D'Errico.
Latin Rite Catholics
Within Montenegro the Latin Rite Catholic hierarchy consists of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of BarRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Montenegro. It is centred in the city of Bar . It was erected as a diocese in the 9th century and elevated to an archdiocese in 1089...
. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Bay of Kotor area in Montenegro. It is centered in the city of Kotor . It was erected as a diocese in the 10th century....
is geographically located in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, but it is administratively part of the church in Croatia
Catholic Church in Croatia
Roman Catholicism in Croatia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.There are an estimated 3.8 million baptised Roman Catholics in Croatia, roughly 85% of the population. The national sanctuary of Croatia is in Marija Bistrica...
and is subject to the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia. The diocese was established in 3 century AD and was made archidiocese and metropolitan see in 10 century. Modern diocese was erected in 1828, when the historical archdiocese...
of that country. The territory of the Diocese of Kotor (Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
: Cattaro) corresponds to the territory of Albania Veneta
Albania Veneta
Venetian Albania was the name for the possessions of the Venetian Republic in southern Dalmatia that existed from 1420 to 1797. It originally covered the coastal area of what is now northern Albania and the coast of Montenegro, but the Albanian and southern Montenegrin parts were lost to the...
of the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, lost to Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
in 1797 (Albania Veneta was mostly Catholic).
Eastern Rite Catholics
According to CNEWA Canada, Catholics of the Eastern Catholic Churches number over 20,000 persons in Serbia and MontenegroSerbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
(mostly in northern Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
). In 2003 the Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro
Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro
The Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction for Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in Serbia and Montenegro, founded in 2003....
was created for Greek Catholics in Serbia and Montenegro, headed by Bishop Đura Džudžar (born 1954, appointed 2003). It has 21 parishes and 22,720 faithful, consisting mostly of a group of ethnic Rusyn
Pannonian Rusyns
Rusyns in Pannonia, or simply Rusyns or Ruthenians , are a Slavic minority in Serbia and Croatia...
Greek Catholics in the region of Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
.
Demographics
According to the 2004 official demographic data, of the total 21,972 Roman Catholics in Montenegro, there are:- 8,126 AlbaniansAlbanians in MontenegroAlbanians in Montenegro constitute 4.91% of the county's total population. They mainly live in South-Eastern Montenegro, in the region commonly known as Malesija as well as in the municipality of Ulcinj .-Geography:...
(36.98%) - 6,811 CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
(31.00%) - 5,000 Montenegrins (22.76%)
- 2,035 others (9.26%)
According to statistics published by the Archdiocese of Bar in 2006, there are a total of 12,165 Catholics under its jurisdiction, in the following settlements:
- TuziTuziTuzi is a town in the Podgorica municipality, Montenegro, located along a main road between the city of Podgorica and the Albanian border crossing, just a few kilometers north of Lake Skadar. The exact location of Tuzi is...
- 4, 510 - PodgoricaPodgoricaPodgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
- 1,738 - BarBar, MontenegroBar is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has a population of 17,727...
- 1,610 - UlcinjUlcinjUlcinj is a coastal resort town and municipality in Montenegro. The town of Ulcinj has a population of 10,828 of which the majority are Albanians...
- 947 - Štoj - 491
- Bratica - 475
- Hoti - 440
- KojaKoja e KuçitKoja e Kuçit is considered one of the seven Northern Albanian tribes of Malësia. Koja is the Albanian Catholic tribe of Koja e Kuçit, the name derived from a combination of the Albanian Koja clan, within the Kuči mountain. The people of this tribe are said to be descendants of the tribe of Kelmend....
- 404 - Sveti Đorđe - 251
- TrieshTrieshTriesh is one of the seven Albanian tribes of Malësi e Madhe. Today, around 400 descendants of the tribe live in the small but active tribal sub-region. Trieshi, as well as Hot, derive from a single ancestor named Keq Preka...
i - 249 - GrudaGrudaGrudë is a region within Malësia in southern Montenegro. Grudë lies just north of Lake Skadar and includes the small city of Tuzi, the major urban center of Malësia.-Religion:...
- 232 - Kolonza - 219
- Zupci - 180
- CetinjeCetinjeCetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
- 165 - GusinjeGusinjeGusinje is a small town in Montenegro. According to the 2003 census, the town has a population of 1,704.-History:The history and origins of Gusinje are unknown prior to the Ottoman conquests. Before the Ottoman Turks took control of the region, Plav-Gusinje was under the control of various...
- 80 - Klezna - 91
- Ljara - 41
- NikšićNikšićNikšić is a city in Montenegro . In 2003 the city had a total population about 75,000.Nikšić is located in Nikšić plain, at the foot of Mount Trebjesa. It is the center of the municipality , which is the largest in Montenegro by area...
- 30 - Šestan - 12