Catholic Church in Kosovo

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Catholic Church in Kosovo
Kisha Katolike e Kosoves
Catholic Church of Letnica, Kosovo..JPG
Curch of Letnica
Type National polity
Classification Catholic
Orientation Latin
Scripture Bible
Theology Catholic theology
Polity Episcopal
Pope Francis
Region Kosovo
Language Albanian, Latin
Headquarters Prishtina, Kosovo
Number of followers65,000
Catholicism in Kosovo, 2011 census. Kosovo-2011-Catholic.GIF
Catholicism in Kosovo, 2011 census.

The Catholic Church has a population in Kosovo of approximately 65,000 in a region of roughly 2 million people. [1]

Contents

Another 60,000 Kosovan Catholics are outside the region, mainly for work. [2] They are mainly ethnic Albanians, with a few Croats.

The Diocese of Prizren-Pristina (until 5 September 2018, an Apostolic Administration of Prizren) is the ecclesiastical district of the Catholic Church in Kosovo. It is centered in the city of Prizren. Bishop Dodë Gjergji serves as diocesan bishop as of 2019. As of 2019, the Holy See does not recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state (see also Holy See's reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence).

However, as stated by Bishop Dodë Gjergji, the Kosovan prelate of the Diocese of Prizren-Pristina, in an interview with RTV Dukagjini on December 12, 2020, “The Vatican has two segments: the Vatican as the seat of the Catholic Church and as a state. Pope Francis has raised our church from the Church of Kosovo to the Church of Prizren-Pristina, just like the bishops all over the world. Therefore, religiously we are very fine. The state aspect is a diplomatic aspect.” [3]

Apostolic Delegate

Archbishop Juliusz Janusz, 66, originally a priest of the Archdiocese of Kraków, Poland, is the Apostolic Nuncio to Slovenia and the Apostolic Delegate to Kosovo; he had served previously as Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary and before that as Apostolic Nuncio to Mozambique and Rwanda. He was delegate from 10 February 2011 to 21 September 2018.

Titular archbishop of Sulci Jean-Marie Speich is Apostolic Nuncio to Slovenia and Apostolic Delegate to Kosovo from 19 March 2019.

History

Middle Ages

In 535, emperor Justinian I created the Archbishopric of Justiniana Prima, centered in the emperor's birth-city of Justiniana Prima, near modern Lebane in Serbia. The archbishopric had ecclesiastical jurisdiction over all provinces of the Diocese of Dacia. [4] By the beginning of the 7th century, Byzantine provincial and ecclesiastical order in the region was destroyed by invading Avars and Slavs. After the Great Schism between the east and the west, Albanians who had ties to the Roman church started converting to Catholicism. Northern Albanians started to convert to Catholicism en masse during the 12th and 13th centuries, including Albanians living in Kosovo. [5] During the late 12th century Kosovo was fully conquered by Stefan Nemanja, thus introducing Serbian Orthodoxy to local Vlachs, Bulgarians and Catholic Albanians. Albanians in Kosovo are reported by Stefan Uroš I, as well as Albanian toponyms in the Drenica valley and Dukagjin plains (1246-1255) and in Rugovo (1292). [6] Most of these Albanians were Roman Catholic. [7]

When Stefan Dečanski founded the Visoki Dečani monastery in 1327, he referred to "villages and katuns of Vlachs and Albanians" in the area of White Drin. [8] King Stefan Dečanski granted the Visoki Dečani monastery with pasture land along with catholic Vlach and Albanian katuns around Drin and Lim rivers of whom had to carry salt and provide serf labour for the monastery. [9]

A chrysobull issued by Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan to the Monastery of Saint Mihail and Gavril in Prizren, between 1348 and 1353, records the presence of Catholic[ failed verification ] Albanians in the Plains of Dukagjin, the vicinity of Prizren, and the villages of Drenica. [8] [6] Albanians also migrated north to work in the mines of Novo Brdo, and Ragusan documents from the early 14th century report 150 Catholic Albanian household heads residing in Novo Brdo with their families, living alongside Saxon miners and Ragusan merchants. [10] [11] [12] These documents also note Albanian communities in Trepça and Prizren. [11] Further Albanian expansion into Kosovo became evident in the 17th century, with waves of Catholic Albanian colonists arriving in the mining areas and settling in towns like Pristina and Gjakova. [13]

Pope John XXII tried to turn catholic Albanians against Serbian rule, but this didn't succeed. [14] In 1332, an anonymous Dominican priest called for help to liberate "catholic Latins and Albanians who detest Slavic rule" from the Kingdom of Rascia(Serbia). [15] Under the rule Tsar Stefan Dušan, all Catholic belivers were persecuted, including those Albanians of the Catholic faith. [16] [17] [18] After the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 Serbian rule in Kosovo started to weaken and Ottoman Islam was first introduced in Kosovo, with the first mosques being built in Pristina, Vushtrri and Prizren. In 1455 Kosovo was fully conquered by the Ottomans, with Novo Brdo falling in 27 of June 1441, [19] Prizren in 21 of June 1455 [20] and Zvečan in 1455, [21] thus ending 157 years of Serbian rule in Kosovo. [22]

Kosovo war (1997-1999)

During the Kosovo war, vandalization of Kosovo Albanian Catholic churches occurred. [23] The Catholic Church of St Anthony located in Gjakovë had major damage done by Yugoslav Serb soldiers. [24] In Pristina, Yugoslav Serb officers ejected nuns and a priest from the Catholic church of St. Anthony and installed aircraft radar in the steeple. [23]

Modern period

An important Catholic charity organization is Caritas Kosovo which has a presence all over the country, including in the Serbian dominated areas.

On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck Albania. The Catholic Church in Kosovo held mass on 1 December across the country and it collected charitable donations by parishioners for earthquake victims and their families. [25] [26]

One of the oldest Catholic churches in Kosovo is the Catholic church of Vinarc, in Mitrovica. [27] [28] It is disputed by Serbian Orthodox Church. [29]

Churches

See also

Related Research Articles

This article includes information on the demographic history of Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prizren</span> Second largest city of Kosovo

Prizren is the second most populous city and municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and district. It is located on the banks of the Prizren River between the foothills of the Sharr Mountains in southern Kosovo. Prizren experiences an oceanic climate under the influence of the surrounding mountains.

The history of Kosovo dates back to pre-historic times when the Starčevo culture, Vinča culture, Bubanj-Hum culture, and Baden culture were active in the region. Since then, many archaeological sites have been discovered due to the abundance of natural resources which gave way to the development of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novo Brdo</span> Town and municipality in Pristina, Kosovo

Novo Brdo or Novobërda and Artanë, is a town and municipality located in the Prishtina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 6,729 inhabitants. The center of the municipality is the village of Bostane. The region is especially known for its role in mining during medieval times, in particular after the construction of the Novo Brdo Fortress by Stefan Milutin to house Saxon miners who were brought in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visoki Dečani</span> Cultural heritage monument of Kosovo

The Visoki Dečani Monastery is a medieval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery located near Deçan, Kosovo. It was founded in the first half of the 14th century by Stefan Dečanski, King of Serbia. Dečani is often considered to be one of the most endangered European cultural heritage sites. It is by far the largest medieval church in the Balkans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren-Pristina</span> Catholic diocese in Kosovo

The Diocese of Prizren and Pristina is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Kosovo. It is centered in the city of Prizren. It was erected as an apostolic administration in 2000, after being split from the Diocese of Skopje and Prizren, and elevated to the rank of diocese in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo Albanians</span> Ethnic group in the Balkans

The Albanians of Kosovo, also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opolje</span> Geographic region in Kosovo

Opolje is a region in the southern part of the municipality of Prizren in southern Kosovo. The region has 19 villages mainly inhabited by Kosovo Albanians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Districts of Kosovo</span> Administrative units within the Republic of Kosovo

A District is the highest level of administrative divisions of Kosovo. The districts of Kosovo are based on the 2000 Reform of the UNMIK-Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Kosovo</span>

Christianity in Kosovo has a long-standing tradition dating to the Roman Empire. The entire Balkan region had been Christianized by the Roman, Byzantine, First Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Kingdom, Second Bulgarian Empire, and Serbian Empire till 13th century. After the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 until 1912, Kosovo was part of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, and a high level of Islamization occurred. During the time period after World War II, Kosovo was ruled by secular socialist authorities in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). During that period, Kosovars became increasingly secularized. Today, 87% of Kosovo's population are from Muslim family backgrounds, most of whom are ethnic Albanians, but also including Slavic speakers and Turks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eparchy of Raška and Prizren</span> Eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Eparchy of Raška and Prizren is one of the oldest eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church, featuring the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Patriarchal Monastery of Peć, as well as Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Visoki Dečani, which together are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Serbia. More than 100 of the Eparchy's churches and monasteries were targeted for vandalism and destruction by Albanian nationalists after the Kosovo War and during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.

Tourism in Kosovo is characterized by archaeological heritage from Illyrian, Dardanian, Roman, Byzantine, Serbian and Ottoman times, traditional Albanian and Serbian cuisine, architecture, religious heritage, traditions, and natural landscapes. Kosovo is situated in south-eastern Europe. With its central position in the Balkans, it serves as a link in the connection between central and south Europe, the Adriatic Sea, and Black Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dečani chrysobulls</span> Records of land ownership in Serbia (1330–1345)

The Dečani chrysobulls alternatively known as the Dečani charters are chrysobulls dating to 1330–1345 which contain a detailed list of landholdings and tax farming rights which the monastery of Visoki Dečani held over settlements and communities in the Kingdom of Serbia, in an area which spanned from present-day southern Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and parts of northern Albania. The chrysobulls were signed by Stefan Dečanski, the King of Serbia, who confirmed the existing rights and gave new ones to the monastery.

The Sanjak of Viçitrina, also known as the Pristina Pashaluk, was a sanjak of the Ottoman Empire in Rumelia, in present-day Kosovo. It was named after its administrative center Vushtrri.

Monuments of Kosovo comprise all the monuments that are located in Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novo Brdo Fortress</span> Medieval Serbian fortress located in Kosovo

Novo Brdo Fortress is a medieval Serbian fortress in Kosovo. Its ruins are located near the town of Novo Brdo, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of Pristina. The fortress was built in the late 13th century by king Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia to protect gold, silver, iron and lead mines which were abundant throughout the area. Novo Brdo was famous for its silver. Together with the castles of Prizren, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to the southwest, and Prilepac, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the southeast, which guard access roads to the fortress, Novo Brdo helped form a defensive complex overlooking the lucrative mining operations. Novo Brdo was at its height during the Serbian Despotate (1402–1459), when it was the most important mining area and second most important town in Serbia. A significant number of Saxon miners, Albanian Catholics and a large Ragusan merchant colony lived within the town, which was ruled by a vojvoda, but also a governor (kefalija), because it was the seat of an administrative unit of the Despotate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo</span>

Serbian cultural and religious sites in Kosovo were systematically vandalized and destroyed over several historical periods, during the Ottoman rule, World War I, World War II, Yugoslav communist rule, Kosovo War and 2004 unrest.

In medieval Serbia a social group known as "Vlachs" existed. While the term Vlachs had more meaning, primarily denote the inhabitants of Aromanian origin and also dependent shepherds in the medieval Serbian state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botushë</span> Village in Gjakova, Kosovo

Botushë is a village in the municipality of Gjakova, District of Gjakova, southwest Kosovo. It is located near the border with Albania and is part of the Highlands of Gjakova. It is inhabited exclusively by Albanians.

Katun is the name for the form of medieval self-governing community in the Balkans. This form of association of people is a consequence of the absence of strong central government, and is observed in documents from the second half of the 14th and 15th centuries. It is often associated with a living style of Vlachs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as some Albanian and Slavic communities of hill people.

References

  1. ↑ US State Dept 2022 report
  2. ↑ "In Kosovo, whole families return to Catholic faith" Archived 2009-02-11 at the Library of Congress Web Archivescatholicnews.com 9 February 2009 Link accessed 21 March 2010
  3. ↑ "Don Lush Gjergji: Në aspektin fetar Vatikani e ka njohur Kosovën, në aspektin politik fajet i ka diplomacia" Archived 2020-12-30 at the Wayback Machine telegrafi.com December 26, 2020. Link accessed March 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ Curta 2001, p. 77.
  5. ↑ Stavrianos, Leften Stavros (2000). The Balkans since 1453. London: Hurst. ISBN   1-85065-550-2. OCLC   59436364. Religious differences also existed before the coming of the Turks. Originally, all Albanians had belonged to the Eastern Orthodox Church... Then the Ghegs in the North adopted in order to better resist the pressure of Orthodox Serbs.
  6. 1 2 Iseni, Bashkim (2008). La question nationale en Europe du Sud-Est : genèse, émergence et développement de l'indentité nationale albanaise au Kosovo et en Macédoine (in French). Bern: P. Lang. ISBN   978-3-03911-320-0. OCLC   269329200.
  7. ↑ Guy Brunet (2004). Minorities. Peter Lang. p. 147.
  8. 1 2 Malcolm, Noel (1998). Kosovo: A short history. Macmillian. p. 54. ISBN   9780810874831. "And Dusan's chrysobull of 1348 for the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Prizren mentions a total of nine Albanian katuns."(The monastery Dečani isn't in Prizren, which this quote is talking about)
  9. ↑ Wilkinson, Henry Robert (1955). "Jugoslav Kosmet: The evolution of a frontier province and its landscape". Transactions and Papers (Institute of British Geographers) (21): 171–193. doi:10.2307/621279. JSTOR   621279. The monastery at Dečani stands on a terrace commanding passes into High Albania. When Stefan Uros III founded it in 1330, he gave it many villages in the plain and catuns of Vlachs and Albanians between the Lim and the Beli Drim. Vlachs and Albanians had to carry salt for the monastery and provide it with serf labour.
  10. ↑ Gjini, Gaspër. Ipeshkvia Shkup-Prizren nëpër shekuj (PDF). Diocese of Skopje-Prizren. p. 81.
  11. 1 2 Hitchins, Keith (1991). "Pronësia Feudale Në Tokat Shqiptare (SHEK. XV-XVI). By Selami Pulaha. Tiranë: Akademia e Shkencave e RPS të Shqipërisë, 1988. 518 pp. - Bŭlgarskata Narodnost Prez XVII Vek. By Elena Grozdanova. Sofia: Nauka i izkustvo, 1989. 725 pp. Tables". Slavic Review. 50 (3): 714–715. doi:10.2307/2499895. ISSN   0037-6779. JSTOR   2499895.
  12. ↑ Madgearu, Alexandru (2008). The wars of the Balkan Peninsula : their medieval origins. Internet Archive. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press. p. 26-27. ISBN   978-0-8108-5846-6. Albanians went to the north to work in the mines of Srbrenica and Novo Brdo in Kosovo
  13. ↑ Madgearu, Alexandru (2008). The wars of the Balkan Peninsula : their medieval origins. Internet Archive. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press. p. 26-27. ISBN   978-0-8108-5846-6. Another wave of Catholic Albanian colonists came to the mining area in the 17th century, to the towns in Prishtina and Gjakova.
  14. ↑ Миљан, М. Гогић (2018). УНИВЕРЗИТЕТ У БЕОГРАДУ ФИЛОЗОФСКИ ФАКУЛТЕТ Миљан М. Гогић ПОЛИТИЧКО И ДРУШТВЕНО УРЕЂЕЊЕ КОТОРА У ДРУГОЈ ПОЛОВИНИ XII И XIII ВИЈЕКУ (докторска дисертација) Београд, 2018 (PDF) (Милутинови противници, Филип Тарентски и папа Јован XXII, настојали су да против њега окрену албанске великаше. У том правцу наведени папа је јуна 1319. године упутио неколико писама локалним феудалцима, позивајући их да збаце власт српског краља. Судећи по поменима Милутиновог наследника Стефана у тим крајевима, на почетку његове владавине, изгледа да ти планови нијесу дали резултата." (Stefan Milutin's opponents, Philip Tarentsky and Pope John XXII, sought to turn against him the Albanian nobles. To this end, the Pope in June 1319 sent several letters to the local feudal lords, urging them to overthrow the rule of the Serbian king. Judging by the mention of Stefan Milutin's successor Stefan in those parts, at the beginning of his reign, these plans did not seem to have worked.) ed.). Belgrad. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Elsie, Robert. Texts and Documents of Albanian History. ...it is inhabited by two peoples, i.e. the Albanians and the Latins who, in their beliefs, their rites and their obedience, both abide by the Roman Catholic Church... The Latins have six towns with bishops: firstly Antibarum (Bar), the seat of the archbishop, then Chatarensis (Kotor), Dulcedinensis (Ulcinj), Suacinensis (Shas) (2), Scutarensis (Shkodra) and Drivascensis (Drisht) (3), which are inhabited by the Latins alone. Outside the town walls, the Albanians make up the population throughout the diocese. There are four Albanian towns: Polatum Maius (Greater Pult) (4), Polatum Minus (Lesser Pult), Sabatensis (Sapa) (5) and Albanensis (Albanopolis) (6) which, together with the towns of the Latins, are all legally subject to the Archbishop of Bar and his church as their metropolitan. The Albanians indeed have a language quite different from Latin. However they use Latin letters in all their books (7). The sway of the Latins is thus confined to the limits of their towns. Outside the towns, they do possess vineyards and fields, but there are no fortifications or villages actually inhabited by the Latins. The Albanians for their part, the larger of the two peoples, could assemble over fifteen thousand horsemen for warfare according to the custom and manner of the country, who would be courageous and industrious warriors. Since the said Latins and Albanians suffer under the unbearable yoke and extremely dire bondage of their odious Slav leaders whom they detest – the people being tormented, the clergy humiliated and oppressed, the bishops and abbots often kept in chains, the nobles disinherited and held hostage, episcopal and other churches disbanded and deprived of their rights, and the monasteries in decay and ruin – they would all to a man believe that they were consecrating their hands in the blood of the aforementioned Slavs if a French prince were to appear... With the help of the aforementioned Albanians and Latins, one thousand French knights and five or six thousand foot soldiers could without a doubt easily conquer the whole length and breadth of this kingdom.
  16. ↑ Alexandru Madgearu; Martin Gordon (2008). The Wars of the Balkan Peninsula: Their Medieval Origins. Scarecrow Press. p. 86.
  17. ↑ Ines Angeli Murzaku (2015). Monasticism in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Republics. Routledge. p. 249.
  18. ↑ Joan Mervyn Hussey (1966). The Cambridge Medieval History: The Byzantine Empire V. 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 540.
  19. ↑ Setton, Kenneth M.; Hazard, Harry W.; Zacour, Norman P. (1 June 1990). A History of the Crusades: The Impact of the Crusades on Europe. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 267. ISBN   978-0-299-10744-4. The Ottoman conquest of Novo Brdo, a center of silver production, took place on June 27, 1441; see JireSek, Geschichte der Serben, II, 178.
  20. ↑ Malcolm, N (1999). Kosovo: A Short History. p. 91. ISBN   978-0-06-097775-7.
  21. ↑ Urošević, Atanasije (20 April 1957). Bulletin de l'Academie Serbe des Sciences. Section des Sciences Sociales. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. p. 34.
  22. ↑ Malcolm 1998, pp. 81–92. ISBN   0-333-66612-7
  23. 1 2 Schwartz, Stephen (2000). Kosovo: Background to a War. London: Anthem Press. p. 161. ISBN   9781898855569. Schwartz 2000 , p. 161. " Albanian Catholic churches were also vandalized. Riedlmayer learned that Serb officers had installed anti-aircraft radar in the steeple of St. Anthony's Catholic church in Pristina, after ejecting the priest and nuns; NATO bombing of the radar, and therefore the church and surrounding houses, would have been labelled an atrocity."
  24. ↑ Bevan, Robert (2007). The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War. Reaktion books. p. 85. ISBN   9781861896384. "Major damage to the Roman Catholic church of St Anthony in Gjakova, reportedly bombed by NATO, was actually committed by Serbian soldiers."
  25. ↑ "Kisha Katolike në Kosovë organizon meshë dhe mbledhje të hollash për të prekurit e tërmetit në Shqipëri" (in Albanian). Epoka e Re. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  26. ↑ "Kisha Katolike e Kosovës kujton viktimat e tërmetit në Shqipëri". Vatican News. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  27. ↑ "Database of Cultural Heritage of Kosovo". Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  28. ↑ "Catholic Church of Vinarc". Mitrovica Guide. 17 June 2022.
  29. ↑ Diocese of Raška and Prizren, Kossev (2023-12-25). "Diocese: the Kosovo authorities are renovating our church in Vinarce as a catholic church without our consent, the international community mustreact".
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