Benedikt Vinković

Benedikt Vinković
Born 1581
Jastrebarsko, Habsburg Monarchy
Died 2 December 1642
Zagreb, Habsburg Monarchy
Nationality Habsburg, Ottoman
Other names Benedictus II Vinkovich
Occupation Catholic bishop

Benedikt Benko Vinković[1] (Latin: Benedictus II Vinkovich)[2] was a Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs (1630-1637) and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb (1637-1642).[3]

Early life

Vinković was born in 1581 in Jastrebarsko (or Jaska). According to some contemporary sources, his parents Petar and Magdalena were free peasants, but others, such as Toma Kovačević, say that they lived at the estate of a noble man.[4] During his early years, Vinković was educated by Jesuits in seminaries in Erdelj, Zagreb, and Vienna.[1][5] In 1606 Vinković became rector of Ilyrian College in Bologne.[5] In 1608 he received PhD in philosophy.[2]

In 1611 Vinković became an archdeacon of Čazma, and in 1612 he became archdeacon of Komarnica.[4] In 1619, Vinković served as an envoy of the Croatian Diet sent to the Emperor to discuss Serb-related issues.[6] In 1622, Vinković was appointed to position of the cathedral archdeacon.[4]

According to the policy of the Vatican, Ottoman-controlled territories in Europe, the Vatican was to appoint Jesuit priests who fluently spoke different Slavic languages to higher positions in the Catholic church. As a result, Vinković was appointed as a bishop in Ottoman-controlled Pécs in 1630. In his correspondence, Vinković also used Latin and Hungarian language.[7] Vinković was a supporter of Martin Borković and his counter-reformation activities in Međimurje.[8]

Activities related to Serbs

According to Slavko Gavrilović, Serbian historian and member of the academy, Vinković (and Petar Petretić) wrote numerous inaccurate texts meant to incite hatred against Serbs and Orthodox Christians, some of which included advice on how to Catholicize the Serbs.[9] Vinković's activities were also aimed at the Serb bishop of Marča, Maksim Predojević, whom he reported to the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith after refusing to support the conversion of the population of his bishopric to Catholicism.[10] Vinković estimated that number of Serbs in Slavonia was about 74,000.[11] In 1640 Vinković requested Predojević's deposition from Roman Curia in his 1640 letter to Pope's nuncio in Vienna.[11] Vinković claimed that Orthodox bishop Predojević is subordinated to him and expected to receive some income from him.[12] His intentions were to appoint Rafael Levaković as bishop of Marča instead of Predojević.[13]

In 1640, Vinković wrote that Catholicized Serbs are the most ardent followers of the Catholic faith.[14] In the same year he reported that Serbs are using Cyrillic script.[15] In 1642, Vinković sent a report to emperor Ferdinand III discussing "Vlachs" (Orthodox Serbs).[16]

In a 1673 letter, Vinković reported that some Serbs (Vlachs) form Istria, Senj, and Vinodolski had been converted to Catholicism.[17]

References

Sources

External links

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