Apostolic Administration of Prizren
| Apostolic Administration of Prizren Apostolica Administratio Prisrianensis Administrata Apostolike Призренска апостолска администратура | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Territory | Kosovo[a] |
| Ecclesiastical province | Immediately Subject to the Holy See |
| Metropolitan | Prizren, District of Prizren, Kosovo |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics |
(as of 2008) 2,100,000 65,000 (3.1%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 24 May 2000 |
| Cathedral |
Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Cathedral of Blessed Mother Teresa in Prishtina (under construction) |
| Patron saint | Blessed Virgin Mary |
| Current leadership | |
| Apostolic Administrator | Dodë Gjergji |
| Website | |
| kishakatolike.org | |
The Roman Catholic Apostolic Administration of Prizren is an ecclesiastical territory or Apostolic Administration of the Roman Catholic Church in Kosovo.[a] It is centred in the city of Prizren. It was erected as an Apostolic Administration in 2000, after being split from the Diocese of Skopje and Prizren.[1]
First Apostolic Administrator of Prizren was titular bishop Marko Sopi of Celerina, who served from 2000 to 2006.[2] He was succeeded by former bishop Dodë Gjergji of Sapë, who currently serves as Apostolic Administrator of Prizren.[3]
History
Modern Apostolic Administration of Prizren covers the approximate territory of the former Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren that was a titular see known as Prisriana.[4] During the later period of Ottoman rule in 19th century there were several initiatives for organization of a regular diocese. In 1912, region of Prizren came under the rule of Kingdom of Serbia. In order to regulate status of Catholic Church, government of Serbia concluded official agreement (concordat) with the Holy See on 24 June 1914. By the Second Article of Concordat, it was decided that Diocese of Skopje shall be created as a regular diocese for all newly annexed regions (including Prizren), and it was also agreed that it would be placed under jurisdiction of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belgrade that was about to be created.[5] Because of the breakout of First World War, those provisions could not be fully implemented, and only after 1918 new arrangements were made.
During the time of first Yugoslavia (1918-1941), there were some new initiatives towards the creation of a local diocese in Prizren. During the Second World War, the last titular bishop of Prisriana was appointed in 1942 (Ivan Romanoff), but he never came to Prizren.[6] Only in 1969, the name of Prizren Diocese was joined with the name of the Skopje Diocese, thus creating Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje and Prizren.[7] In 2000, jurisdictions were split, and the portion in Kosovo became the Apostolic Administration of Prizren, while the Diocese of Skopje returned to its former name.[8]
See also
Notes
| a. | ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 111 out of 193 United Nations member states. |
References
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Apostolic Administration of Prizren
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Bishop Marko Sopi
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Bishop Dodë Gjergji
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Prisriana (Titular See)
- ↑ Concordat between the Holy See and the Realm of Serbia in 1914
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Bishop Ivan Romanoff
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Diocese of Skopje
- ↑ Catholic Hierarchy: Apostolic Administration of Prizren
External links
- Catholic Hierarchy: Apostolic Administration of Prizren
- GCatholic.org: Apostolic Administration of Prizren
Coordinates: 42°12′28″N 20°44′18″E / 42.2077°N 20.7384°E