Greek Catholic

The Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is a sui juris particular church, which follows the Byzantine Rite liturgy and has its own hierarchy. The Church was founded in 1557 by Pope Paul IV to serve the spiritual needs of Croatian and Serbian Catholics who had been converted from Orthodoxy to Catholicism. It has since grown to become one of the largest Eastern Catholic churches in Europe, with over 1 million members. The Church is committed to preserving its traditional faith and culture while also engaging with modern society through ecumenical dialogue, social justice initiatives, and pastoral care for all people regardless of their religious background.

Top Facts

• Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Catholic Church.
• It has approximately 1 million members, making it one of the largest Eastern Catholic churches in Europe.
• The church is headed by a Major Archbishop, currently His Beatitude Sveti Josip Pavlović, who resides in Zagreb, Croatia.
• The Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia follows the Byzantine Rite liturgy and recognizes seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), Eucharist, Penance (Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick (Unction), Holy Orders and Matrimony.
• Its main feast days are Christmas on December 25th and Easter Sunday on April 4th each year.
• The church has its own calendar which begins on September 1st each year and ends on August 31st of the following year; this calendar is known as “the Old Calendar” or “the Julian Calendar” due to its use of the Julian calendar system instead of the Gregorian calendar system used by most other Christian churches today