Roman Catholic Diocese Of Smederevo
History
In the 13th century, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syrmia was established, for Catholics in the most southern regions of the Kingdom of Hungary, including Belgrade. By the 15th century, attempts were made to establish a Roman Catholic diocese for the regions of Belgrade and Smederevo, but in 1521 the city (Belgrade) fell under Ottoman rule. In 1717, the Habsburg Monarchy captured Belgrade from the Ottoman Empire, and soon the Treaty of Passarowitz was concluded (1718), officially assigning Belgrade with much of central Serbia to the Habsburgs. State authorities implemented complex religious policies towards various Christian communities, by recognizing the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Belgrade, and also establishing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belgrade. After the loss of Belgrade to the Ottomans in 1739, many Catholics left the region, and the Diocese was returned to the state of provisional administration, that would continue up to the beginning of the 20th century.
In order to regulate the status of the local Catholic Church, the government of the Kingdom of Serbia concluded an official Concordat with the Holy See on 24 June 1914. By the Second Article of the Concordat, it was decided that a regular Catholic Archdiocese of Belgrade should be created. Because of the breakout of the First World War, those provisions could not be implemented, and only after 1918 were new arrangements made:
- October 29, 1924: Promoted as Archdiocese of Belgrade
- December 16, 1986: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Belgrade