Elevation of the apostolic exarchate for Catholic faithful of Byzantine rite resident in Serbia to eparchy, and appointment of the first eparchial bishop

The Holy Father has elevated the apostolic exarchate for Catholic faithful of Byzantine rite resident in Serbia to an eparchy, assigning to the new circumscription the title of “Saint Nicholas of Ruski Krstur”.

The Pope has appointed as first eparchial bishop H.E. Msgr. Djura Džudžar, currently titular bishop of Acrassus and apostolic exarch of the same circumscription.

H.E. Msgr. Djura Džudžar

H.E. Msgr. Djura Džudžar was born in Ðurđevo, Serbia, to a Ruthenian family on 22 April 1954.

He was ordained a priest on 7 September 1980 and incardinated in the eparchy of Križevci, Croatia. For several years he has served as an official of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. On 3 March 2001 he was appointed as titular bishop of Acrassus and Auxiliary of Mukachevo of the Ruthenians, Ukraine, receiving episcopal ordination on 19 March 2001 in Rome from Saint John Paul II.

On 28 August 2003, at the time of the erection of the Apostolic Exarchate for the Catholic faithful of the Byzantine rite in Serbia and Montenegro, he was appointed as first exarch. On 19 January 2013, the circumscription was limited to the faithful of Serbia alone.

In March 2016 he was elected vice president of the International Episcopal Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius, which brings together the Bishops of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo.