Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur

Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur

Крстурска гркокатоличка епархија
Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur; Крстурска гркокатоличка епархија
	Greek Catholic Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Ruski Krstur, Serbia
Location
Country	Serbia
Territory	Serbia
Metropolitan	exempt, directly subjected to the Holy See
Statistics
Population; - Catholics (including non-members)	; 21,845 (2016)
Parishes	21 (2016)
Information
Denomination	Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia
Rite	Byzantine Rite
Established	(2003) 2018
Cathedral	Greek Catholic Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Ruski Krstur, Serbia
Secular priests	21 (2016)
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	Đura Džudžar
Metropolitan Archbishop	exempt, directly subjected to the Holy See

The Greek Catholic Eparchy of Ruski Krstur (Serbian: Крстурска гркокатоличка епархија) is an eparchy (diocese) of the Catholic Church for Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in Serbia. It was founded in 2003 as the "Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro" and reduced to the territory of Serbia in 2013. In 2018, it was elevated to an eparchy by Pope Francis.^[1] Since 2003, it is headed by bishop Đura Džudžar.^[2]

The Eparchy is a part of the Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia, together with the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci in Croatia. In terms of jurisdiction, the Eparchy is exempt and directly subjected to the Holy See.^[1] There are no ecclesiastical provinces for it to belong to in the Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia, which lacks a Metropolitan of its own, since the only other jurisdiction, the Eparchy of Križevci, is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb.^[3]

The eparchy mostly serves a group of Rusyn Greek Catholics in the region of Vojvodina.^[4]

Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2013)[]

Until 2001, the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci had full jurisdiction over all Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite throughout the entire territory of the former Yugoslavia, including all of its successor states: Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

After the formation of independent successor states from what had been Yugoslavia, the process of administrative reorganization was initiated. In 2001, a separate Byzantine Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Macedonia was formed for Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in neighboring North Macedonia. It was fully separated from the Eparchy of Križevci and directly subjected to the Holy See.^[5]

In 2003, a new Apostolic Exarchate was created for Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in Serbia and Montenegro, the Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia and Montenegro. Its first and only exarch was bishop Đura Džudžar, who was appointed on August 28 (2003), with residence in Ruski Krstur.^[2] This exarchate remained in association with the Eparchy of Križevci.

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.^[6]

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.^[7] Bishop Đura Džudžar remained in his post as exarch. The Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia is still associated with the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci as part of the Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia.

The Apostolic Exarchate of Serbia practices liturgy in the Slavonic form of Byzantine Rite and uses the Old Church Slavonic language and the Cyrillic alphabet. Adherents of the Eastern Catholic Byzantine Rite in Serbia are mainly Rusyns,^[4] Ukrainians, and Rumanians^{[citation needed]}. In 2016, the Apostolic Exarchate for Serbia had 21 parishes with 21,845 faithful and 21 priests.^[1]