page_title: Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina
section_title: Bishop Anđeo Kraljević
hierarchical_section_title: Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina / History / Bishop Anđeo Kraljević
caption_attribution_description: English: Herzegovinian Franciscan and Apostolic Vicar of Herzegovina Anđeo Kraljević
context_page_description: Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina was an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in the Ottoman Herzegovina that existed between 1846 and 1881, when it was abolished with the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno established on its place.
  The exact date when the Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina was established is not known, but it was sometimes in 1846. It was established on the initiative of the Herzegovinian Franciscans and with aid from Ali-paša Rizvanbegović, the vizier of Herzegovina. Its first apostolic vicar was Bishop Rafael Barišić, a Franciscan, previously apostolic vicar of Bosnia. The establishment of the vicariate in Herzegovina reinvigorated the religious life of Catholics.
  The vicariate was abolished on 5 July 1881 by Pope Leo XIII, who established the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno on its place. Paškal Buconjić, the last apostolic vicar of Herzegovina was named the first bishop of Mostar-Duvno.
context_section_description: On 7 December 1864, Bishop Rafael was succeeded by Fr. Anđeo Kraljević, also a Franciscan and Custos of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina. He was consecrated a bishop in Zadar on 25 March 1865 and installed as apostolic vicar on 13 June 1865. Bishop Anđeo was one of the leaders of the initiative for the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate in Herzegovina back in the 1840s.
  Bishop Anđeo started the construction of the cathedral church, initiated by Bishop Anđeo. On 7 March 1866, he blessed the cornerstone of the church, which was finally built in 1872, when the bishop consecrated it to the apostles Peter and Paul. Thus the seat of the vicariate was moved from Vukodol to the new church. The next year, 1873, the parish residence was built next to it.
  Bishop Anđeo entered into a conflict with the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, due to the Franciscans controlling all of the parishes in Herzegovina, while Bishop Anđeo, even though a Franciscan himself, wanted to have diocesan clergy at his disposal. In 1878, he wrote to the nuncio in Vienna about the necessity of the introduction of the diocesan clergy in the vicariate because the head of the Franciscan Province had all authority, with the apostolic vicar being only a figurehead that confirms his decisions. He also asked him to lobby with the Holy See to establish a diocese so he can found new parishes that will be controlled by the diocesan clergy, with the Franciscans retaining the rest of parishes.
  The Franciscans of Herzegovina were on bad terms with the Bishop Anđeo, claiming he didn't give them enough of the collected alms for the construction of the monastery in Humac. An anonymous letter was sent to Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, claiming the bishop is giving donations sent to him by Austria-Hungary to the Ottomans and accused him of being a turkophile. The Franciscan Custody barred itself from this letter. In February 1877, Bishop Anđeo requested from the Propaganda to send an apostolic visitor in Herzegovina and accused Paškal Buconjić, at the time guardian of the Humac monastery, of negligence towards the parishes and the Herzegovinian Franciscans of taking the payment for maintenance by force from the believers during the Easter Communion. The Congregation named Bishop Casimir Forlani the apostolic visitor, and he arrived in Mostar in February the next year. Forlani finished the report in May 1878, and advised Bishop to act in agreement with the Franciscans and to record revenues and expenditures, as well as to help the construction of the monastery in Humac. The question of the parishes remained unresolved.
caption: Bishop Anđeo Kraljević, OFM, succeded Bishop Rafael Barišić as the apostolic vicar of Herzegovina
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