Holy See–Serbia relations

Holy See-Serbia relations
Map indicating locations of Holy See and Serbia

Holy See
Serbia
Diplomatic mission
Apostolic Nunciature to SerbiaSerbian Embassy to the Holy See

Holy See–Serbia relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and Serbia. Both countries established diplomatic relations in March 1919. The Holy See has an embassy in Belgrade.[1] Serbia has an embassy to the Holy See in Rome.[2]

The Holy See has decided to withhold recognition of Kosovo[a] as part of an agreement with Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church, and this has led to a warming of Vatican-Serbia relations.[3]

History

Before the establishment of the formal bilateral relations

Main articles: Christianization of the Slavs, Serbs in Italy, Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik, and Catholic Church in Serbia
Saint Spyridon Church, Trieste
Rafael Merry del Val with Milenko Vesnić signing Serbian concordat during the pontificate of Pius X. Eugenio Pacelli was Secretary of Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs and true designer of the agreement.

Economic, social and political interactions between Italia and Serbia are of historical longue durée and were intensive ever since the Roman Empire conquered the region.

The baptism of Grand Prince of Serbia Stefan Nemanja was latin rite catholic, in the Serbian Medieval State of Duklja.

The coronation of Grand Prince of Serbia Stefan the First-Crowned (1165–1228) was performed by a legate of Pope Urban II, which led some Serbian historians to conclude that Stefan converted to Catholicism.[4]

Stefan's third wife, Venetian noblewoman Anna Dandolo, a Catholic, became Queen of Serbia and was mother to Stefan Uroš I. Popular legend claims that the Žiča Monastery, seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church between 1219–1253, was intentionally constructed on the halfway between Rome and Constantinople.[5]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and Republic of Kosovo.

References

  1. ^ Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: direction of the Holy See’s embassy in Belgrade
  2. ^ Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: direction of the Serbian embassy to the Holy See
  3. ^ "Vatican consistent in non-recognizing Kosovo". Archived from the original on 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
  4. ^ "To members of a Delegation of the Holy Synod of the OrthodoxPatriarchate of Serbia (February 6, 2003) | John Paul II".
  5. ^ Živanov, Dragan (6 January 2019). "Manastir Žiča". Srbija izbliza. Retrieved 16 April 2020.