Ivan Rafael Rodić

Archbishop I. R. Rodic of Belgrade

Ivan Rafael Rodić (also Ivo Rodić, Italian: Giovanni Raffaele Rodic) (June 15, 1870 – May 10, 1954), was a Croatian Franciscan priest who served as the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belgrade-Smederevo between 1924 and 1936.[1][2][3][4]

Rodić was born in the village of Nurkovac, at the time in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. As a Franciscan, he graduated from the Vienna University of Theology and started teaching theology in Baja, Hungary in 1893, where he remained until 1898.[2][5]

He became the Abbot of the Franciscan monastery in Vienna, and the provincial minister of several monasteries in Croatia.[2] Between 1881 and 1884, he was the provincial of the Province of St. John of Capistrano that included Slavonia, Syrmia and much of southern Hungary.[5] In 1884, Rodić in his capacity as provincial declined the request of Ivan Antunović to help start a newspaper for the Bunjevci Croats in Bačka, fearing opposition from higher authorities, but supported his cause - using their native language and relaying them news from Croatia. Antunović did nevertheless manage to start the newspaper, Neven, and eventually in 1909 Rodić contributed several articles to it.[5]

He later served as the visitor general of the Order, travelling to numerous monasteries in Europe and America.[2]

On February 10, 1923 Rodić became the apostolic administrator of the newly created Diocese of Banat and moved to Veliki Bečkerek (today Zrenjanin, Serbia).[2][4] The following year, on October 29, 1924 he was named the archbishop of Belgrade-Smederevo.[2][3][4]

On November 28, 1936, he was replaced as an archbishop of Belgrade and instead became the titular archbishop of Philippopolis in Thracia.[4] He died in Požega.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Giovanni Raffaele Rodic". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Leopold Gedö (1926) [1887]. "P. Ivan Rafael Rodić". Zbirka portreta i biografija znamenitih ljudi kraljevstva Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca. New York Public Library. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Istorija" [History] (in Serbian). Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belgrade. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Beograd Serbia". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Robert Skenderović (October 2006). "Sudjelovanje slavonskih franjevaca u nacionalnom pokretu podunavskih Hrvata tijekom 19. i početkom 20. stoljeća" [Role of Slavonian Franciscans in the national movement of the Danubian Croats during the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century] (PDF). Scrinia Slavonica (in Croatian) (Croatian Historical Institute - Department of History of Slavonia, Srijem and Baranja) 6 (1): 194–216. ISSN 1332-4853. Retrieved 2011-09-13.