Apostolic Exarchate Of Serbia
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The Eparchy of San Nicola di Ruski Krstur () is a
Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia The Greek Catholic Church in Croatia and Serbia or Byzantine Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia, is a particular (''sui iuris'') Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It consists of the Greek Catholic Eparchy ...
ecclesiastical territory or
eparchy Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...
of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. It was founded in 2003 as
apostolic exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...
with territory in Serbia and
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
, and was reduced to the territory of Serbia in 2013. In 2018, it was elevated to an eparchy by
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
. Since 2003, it is headed by bishop
Đura Džudžar Đura Džudžar (born 22 April 1954) is a Serbian eparchial bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur since 2018. He was previously titular bishop of Acrassus (2001-2018), auxiliary bishop of the Ruthenian Eparchy of Mukachevo ( ...
. The Eparchy of Ruski Krstur is one of two eparchies for the Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia, together with the
Eparchy of Križevci Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administrative structure ...
in
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
. The Eparchy of Ruski Krstur is exempt directly to the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
. The Eparchy of Križevci is a
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
of the
Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
Archdiocese of Zagreb The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zagreb (; ) is the central Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, and the present archbishop is Dražen Kutleša. It ...
. The Eparchy of Ruski Krstur mostly serves a group of Rusyn Greek Catholics in the region of
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
.


Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2013)

Until 2001, the
Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci The Eparchy of Križevci is a Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia eparchy of the Catholic Church in Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its current eparch is Milan Stipić. The cathedra is in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinit ...
had full jurisdiction over all
Eastern Catholics The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
of the
Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...
throughout the entire territory of the former
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, including all of its successor states:
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
,
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
,
Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north a ...
,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
,
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
and
North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
. After the formation of independent successor states from what had been
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
, the process of administrative reorganization was initiated. In 2001, the separate
Byzantine Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Macedonia The Macedonian Greek Catholic Church or Macedonian Byzantine Catholic Church is a ''sui juris'' Eastern Catholic church in full union with the Catholic Church, which uses the Macedonian language in the liturgy. The Macedonian Greek Catholic Chur ...
was formed for
Eastern Catholics The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
of the
Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...
in neighboring
North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
. It was fully separated from the
Eparchy of Križevci Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administrative structure ...
and directly subjected to the Holy See. In 2003, a new
apostolic exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...
was created for Byzantine Catholics in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
and
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
, the Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro. Its first and only exarch was
Eparch Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an Ecclesiology, ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administra ...
Đura Džudžar Đura Džudžar (born 22 April 1954) is a Serbian eparchial bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur since 2018. He was previously titular bishop of Acrassus (2001-2018), auxiliary bishop of the Ruthenian Eparchy of Mukachevo ( ...
, who was appointed on August 28 (2003), with residence in
Ruski Krstur Ruski Krstur (; ) is a village in Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Kula, West Bačka District. The village has a Rusyn ethnic majority. Its population numbered 3,846 in the 2022 census. Ruski Krstur is the cultural centre ...
. This exarchate remained in association with the
Eparchy of Križevci Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administrative structure ...
. In 2004, the Apostolic Exarchate for Serbia and Montenegro had 26 parishes with 22,934 faithful and 18 priests, and in 2009 it had 21 parishes with 22,369 faithful and 18 priests.


Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia (2013–2018)

On 19 January 2013, all Greek Catholics in Montenegro were entrusted to the local Latin bishops, so the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro was reduced to just
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. Bishop
Đura Džudžar Đura Džudžar (born 22 April 1954) is a Serbian eparchial bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur since 2018. He was previously titular bishop of Acrassus (2001-2018), auxiliary bishop of the Ruthenian Eparchy of Mukachevo ( ...
remained in his post as exarch. The Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia is still associated with the
Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci The Eparchy of Križevci is a Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia eparchy of the Catholic Church in Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its current eparch is Milan Stipić. The cathedra is in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinit ...
as part of the
Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia The Greek Catholic Church in Croatia and Serbia or Byzantine Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia, is a particular (''sui iuris'') Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It consists of the Greek Catholic Eparchy ...
. The Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia practices
liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
in the Slavonic form of Byzantine Rite and uses the
Old Church Slavonic language Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic subgroup of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-Europea ...
and the
Cyrillic alphabet The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Easte ...
. Adherents of the Eastern Catholic Byzantine Rite in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
are mainly
Rusyns Rusyns, also known as Carpatho-Rusyns, Carpatho-Russians, Ruthenians, or Rusnaks, are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group from the Carpathian Rus', Eastern Carpathians in Central Europe. They speak Rusyn language, Rusyn, an East Slavic lan ...
, . In 2016, the Apostolic Exarchate for Serbia had 21 parishes with 21,845 faithful and 21 priests.


Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur (since 2018)

On December 6, 2018, the Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia was elevated by
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
to the rank of Eparchy and
Đura Džudžar Đura Džudžar (born 22 April 1954) is a Serbian eparchial bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur since 2018. He was previously titular bishop of Acrassus (2001-2018), auxiliary bishop of the Ruthenian Eparchy of Mukachevo ( ...
was appointed the first eparchial
bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
.Elevation of the apostolic exarchate for Catholic faithful of Byzantine rite resident in Serbia to eparchy, and appointment of the first eparchial bishop
/ref>


Gallery

File:Grkokatolička_crkva_Novi_Sad.JPG, Greek Catholic Church of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul in
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
File:Đurđevo, Main street and the Uniate Church.jpg, Greek Catholic Church in
Đurđevo Đurđevo ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурђево; ; ) is a village located in the Žabalj municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and a population nu ...
,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
File:Markovac, Greek-Catholic church.jpg, Greek Catholic Church in Markovac,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
File:Jankov Most, Uniate church.jpg, Greek Catholic Church in Jankov Most,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...


See also

*
Catholic Church in Serbia The Catholic Church in Serbia ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Католичка црква у Србији, Katolička crkva u Srbiji) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. There are 356,957 Catholics in S ...
*
Religion in Vojvodina The dominant religion in Vojvodina is Orthodox Christianity, mainly represented by the Serbian Orthodox Church, while other important religions of the region are Catholic Christianity, Protestant Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Demographics ...
*
Catholic Church in Kosovo The Catholic Church in Kosovo () has a number of approximately 246,000 members in a region of roughly 1.5 million people. Another 60,000 (according to the 2011 census) Kosovan Catholics are outside the region, mainly for work. They are mainl ...
* Byzantine Catholic Church in Montenegro


References


External links


Eparchy of Križevci


* ttp://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dseby.html Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia (2013-2018) on Catholic Hierarchy
Rusyns in Serbia


{{DEFAULTSORT:Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia Eastern Catholicism in Serbia Eastern Catholicism in Montenegro Eastern Catholic dioceses in Europe Christian organizations established in 2018 Dioceses established in the 21st century 2018 establishments in Serbia
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
Ruski Krstur Pannonian Rusyns