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TheCatholic Church in North Macedonia is part of the worldwideCatholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of thePope inRome and is one of the major religious communities that exist on the territory of the Republic ofNorth Macedonia. Catholic believers from North Macedonia mostly includeAlbanians,Macedonians andCroats and are most concentrated in theSkopje Statistical Region and theSoutheastern Statistical Region of North Macedonia.[1]
In 2020, it was estimated that there are 15,000 Catholics in the country, less than 1% of the total population;[2] there were 50 nuns and priests serving across 11 parishes.
Macedonian Caritas is the largest Catholic charity in North Macedonia, active both in social welfare and humanitarian aid.
In the 6th century, Emperor Justinian I (born in Tauresium, today's Gradište in North Macedonia) advanced the status of Christianity across the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, and is venerated in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. After Justinian I, the next cycle in which Christianity began to spread began in the 9th century, whenClement of Ohrid andSaint Naum instituted theOhrid Literary School during theChristianization of Bulgaria. At the time, there was a creation of parishes in alignment with theArchbishopric of Ohrid whose autocephaly was maintained until 1767, when the Turks, influenced by theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, suspend it.
Diocese of Skopje, under whose jurisdiction are believers of the Western or Roman rite is one of the oldest dioceses in the Balkans and its territory historically is not enough investigated. Many important historical facts and unsolved today. To a better overview, church history in these areas could be divided into three main periods.
The first period of the Christianity in North Macedonia begins with the appearance of Christianity in Europe. Paul the Apostle was missionary at this time. Christianity was present in these areas illustrated by the fact that theCouncil of Nicea (325), signed between the Assembly's fathers, and the Bishop of DacostaScupi (Skopje) was mentioned as bishop in charge ofDardania (Europe) province, whose capital is Skopje, and extends fromNiš untilVeles (city). The existence of the Diocese does not refer to a clearly defined religious organization in the province headed by Bishop and several bishops. This period is called the "golden period" for the province. Later writers' mention showed five dioceses within the province of Dardania.Pope Gelasius I sent a letter to the six Dardanian bishops of the time.
The second period is characterized by turbulent conditions and switch to the ends of these arms in the hands of various new rulers. With the arrival of the Turks a hard time for Christians in these areas arose. Five centuries of Ottoman slavery occasionated severe consequences in the diocese. But in a report in Rome dating from 1584, Skopje is mentioned as Catholic Center.
This period coincides with the founding of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide in 1622. In this period, theCatholic Church devoted more attention to these areas. The apostolic succession of the Catholic Archbishops of Skopje sinceAndrea Bogdani, an Albanian born in modern day Kosova (1651-1656) until today is continuous. Generally all residential Catholic bishops of Skopje are residential, although many times were forced, because of the Turkish mischief, to change their place of residence, concealing in inaccessible places. Until 1914 Skopje bishops were titled "archbishops". But in aConcordat betweenHoly See and the Kingdom of Serbia the title of Archbishop was transferred to the bishop of theArchdiocese of Shkodër-Pult.[3] Its last Archbishop wasLazër Mjeda (also an Albanian) in 1921 when was appointed Archbishop of theArchdiocese of Shkodër-Pult. In 1924, after the devastation ofWorld War I, the archdiocese was downgraded to a diocese, and became a suffragan to theArchdiocese of Vrhbosna. In 2000Pope John Paul II divided Skopje fromApostolic Administration of Prizren and today its jurisdiction extends throughout the territory of North Macedonia.
In North Macedonia there are Catholics of Byzantine-Catholic rite that fall under the jurisdiction of the Macedonian Apostolic Vicariate.
The movement for liberation and independence gets his swing in mid-19th century, when the whole of Europe is waking to a national consciousness. This movement takes North Macedonia. In the struggle for religious freedom from the Hellenic influence a national spirit in the Macedonian people are waking up and the spirit of ecclesiastical independence from Constantinople Patriarchate arose. Then, a failed request allegiance in various independent churches, trying to free from the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople ends in a compound of the local Bulgarians with theCatholic Church in 1859. The center of this movement was the town ofKilkis, what is known as "Union of Kukush".[4] In 1861,Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Constantinople was created for the Eastern-Catholic Bulgarians of theByzantine Rite in European provinces of theOttoman Empire, including the then region of Macedonia. In 1883 as its off-shoot was created aMacedonian Apostolic Vicariate of the Bulgarians based inThessaloniki. Its first appointed Apostolic Vicar wasLazar Mladenov.
With the creation of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Bulgarians in North Macedonia, a legal structure of the Catholic Church of the Byzantine rite in North Macedonia was established. Bishop Mladenov indicates a clear direction for the development of the Catholic Church of Eastern Rite. But unfortunate circumstances affected this region: the Ilinden Uprising, the Balkan Wars andWorld War I reflects negatively to Catholics. After the First World War the Eastern rite Catholics were found in Vardar Macedonia and Strumica region, and the Pope place them under the care of the then Catholic Archbishop of Skopje. On October 19, 1923 with the provision of the Vatican they became an integral part ofEparchy of Križevci and remain as such until 2001.
Pope John Paul II on January 11, 2001 in Vatican signed a decree to establish an Apostolic Exarch for Catholics of the Eastern rite in North Macedonia. The first Apostolic Exarch appointed was MonsignorJoakim Herbut, bishop of theDiocese of Skopje. The seat of the exarchate is the city ofStrumica, and the Assumption Church in this city holds the title of Cathedral.
Pope Francis on May 31, 2018 elevated the Apostolic Exarchate to the rank of an Eparchy as theMacedonian Catholic Eparchy of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Strumica-Skopje.[5]
Both Catholic institutions in North Macedonia are under the leadership of one person,Kiro Stojanov, perhaps the only case in the world.
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