Original scientific paper
DISCIPLINING OF CATHOLIC CLERICS AND BELIEVERS IN THE EASTERN CROATIA AT THE END OF THE SEVENTEENTH AND THE BEGINNING OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES
Dubravka BOŽIĆ BOGOVIĆ
Abstract
Theoretical concepts of »social disciplining«, »confessionalization« and »religious disciplining« contributed greatly to the research of European early modern history, especially regarding the early modern ecclesiastical history. Notion of religious disciplining usually
is connected to Trident Catholicism, and its goal was homogenization of religious practices together with insurance of obedience to the ecclesiastical (and secular) authorities, but it also related to the disciplining of lower clergy. By the same token, concept of confessionalization tries to reveal social and political effects of religion with emphasis on the relation between Church and state in the process of creation of modern states. One of the most prominent problems regarding ecclesiastical organization and religious
life in the Eastern Slavonia and Syrmia at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth century was non-presence of bishop in his diocese, which was especially evident in bishoprics of Syrmia and Belgrade. Namely, bishops of Syrmia could not reside
in their diocese because of lack of incomes, insufficient diocesan land properties and nonexistence of an appropriate accommodation, while the entire territory of the Belgrade's diocese was under Ottoman rule. Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which was responsible for these dioceses, was aware of these problems and from time to time bishops were reminded on their obligations. However, such measures often did not give any remarkable results. Additional problems regarding the formation of acceptable reformed
clergy in eastern Slavonia and Syrmia were connected with absence of regular bishopric synods and canonical visitations, lack of substantial incomes for clergy, which was followed with serious problems regarding unwillingness of local believers to obey
clerical authorities. Moreover, regarding disciplining lower clergy there was another problem connected with the Franciscan custom to appoint parish priests without consulting diocesan clergy. Namely, since eastern Slavonia and Syrmia were recently liberated from
the Ottoman rule these Franciscan clerics for many decades remained literally the only chaplains in these regions. And because of this fact all the efforts of diocesan clergy to subject locals to their jurisdiction were in vain. On the other hand, preserved sources witness that diocesan lower clergy mostly obeyed bishops' authorities, which can be explained by their education within colleges of the Congregation and by the differences regarding their
position in the diocesan hierarchy. Similarly, there is rather small number of cases that reveal disobedience of local believers, and most frequent ones were related to sacrament of marriage. By the same token, there is no much evidence regarding sanctions of disobedience, though many preserved clerical complaints allow us to assume that such cases had happened often, and that clerics considered seriously their obligation to supervise religious life and practices of their parishioners.
Keywords
Disciplining; Catholicism; Bishopric of Bosnia / Đakovo; Bishopric of Syrmia; Bishopric of Belgrade; bishops; lower clergy; believers
Hrčak ID:
108763
URI
Publication date:
26.9.2013.
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