Anđeo Kraljević

Anđeo Kraljević was born in the village of Čerigaj near Široki Brijeg in Herzegovina, at the time, part of the Ottoman Empire, to father Mate and mother Pera nee Slišković. He was baptised as Ivan. His uncle Frano Kraljević was a Franciscan friar. The parents sent him for education to the Franciscan friary in Kreševo in Autumn of 1821.[1]

Kraljević entered the novitiate of the Franciscan Province of Bosnia on 9 March 1823. The next year he took monastic vows. Even though only 16, as a gifted student, he was sent to Hungary, at the time part of the Austrian Empire for further studies. He finished humanistic studies in Gyöngyös and theology in Vác in the episcopal lyceum.[2] There, he was ordained a priest on 6 January 1831.[3] On 13 July 1831, he received his absolutorium, thus finishing his studies with excellent success.[2]

After returning to Herzegovina, he was appointed a chaplain in Posušje, where he remained until July 1833, after which he became a chaplain in his Čerigaj for two years. In 1835, Kraljević was named a solemn Sunday and holiday preacher in Kreševo, where he remained until 1841. In Kreševo, the Franciscan elders recognised his abilities. During his stay in Kreševo, Kraljević studied Arabic and Turkish language under mentorship of Fr. Marijan Šunjić, later a bishop and Apostolic Vicar of Bosnia. After learning Turkish language, Kraljević translated the sultans' fermans received by the Franciscans for centuries.[2]

After gaining prominence among the Franciscans, some of his fellow monks proposed him as a secretary to Apostolic Vicar of Bosnia Bishop Rafael Barišić, while others wanted him to become a guardian of the Franciscan friary in Kreševo. However, due to a lack of priests, in 1841 he was appointed a parson in Gradac, Mostar, where he served for a year, after which he returned to Kreševo as a friary vicar.[2]

Since 1840, Kraljević was one of the leaders of the initiative of the Herzegovinian Franciscans of the friary in Kreševo who wanted to establish their own friary in Široki Brijeg.[4] Other leaders of this initiative were Nikola Kordić and Ilija Vidošević.[5] At the time, Bishop Rafael Barišić had an uneasy relationship with the Bosnian Franciscans. The Herzegovinian Franciscans established contact with Vizier of Herzegovina Ali-paša Rizvanbegović who was granted his own eyalet by the Ottoman sultan for his loyalty during the Bosnian uprising. The Franciscans considered that they will build their own friary faster if the apostolic vicar would come to Herzegovina.[4]

The vicar of Čerigaj Ilija Vidošević wrote to Bishop Rafael about the idea of establishing a separate Herzegovinian apostolic vicariate, an idea also supported by Ali-paša.[6] In 1843, Bishop Rafael returned from a trip in Albania and stayed in Čerigaj, where Vidošević helped him to establish a connection with Ali-paša.[7]

In 1843, Kraljević was appointed a guardian of the Franciscan friary and parson in Kreševo.[2] In 1844, the Church authorities allowed the Franciscans to build a friary in Široki Brijeg, so the Herzegovinian Franciscans left their former monasteries to build a new one.[6] In January 1844, Kraljević went to Široki Brijeg to serve as the guardian and prepare the construction of the new friary. On 23 July 1846, the cornerstone of the friary was finally consecrated and laid down. At the same time, Kraljević took care of the parish in Gradac.[2]

After three years of guardianship in Široki Brijeg, Kraljević was transferred again to Posušje in 1846 as a parson. The next year he was transferred to Veljaci, where he stayed for six years. As a parson in Veljaci, Kraljević also educated the children. In 1850, he bought the land to build another friary in Humac, Ljubuški.[2]

On 3 October 1852, the Holy See established the Franciscan Custody of Herzegovina, whose powers were equal to those of a province.[2] On 9 November 1852, Kraljević was elected the first custos of the newly-established custody on a term of three years.[8]

In August 1853, General of the Franciscan Order Venancio Metildi da Celano wrote to Kraljević that the Herzegovinian Franciscans lend money with interests, allow the commoners to keep their cattle in exchange for profit, buy cheaper things only to sell them at a higher price, and buy expensive clothes and asked him to investigate those issues. Kraljević wrote back stating that the accusations cannot apply to the whole custody, but only to particular monks. The Deputy General of the Franciscan Order Zacharia a Viculis asked Kraljević to root out the existing misconduct.[9] In 1853, Kraljević issued a schematism of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina in Dubrovnik.[10]

His first three-year term ended on 1 April 1856, when he was succeeded by Ilija Vidošević,[11] to whom he served as a secretary during his entire tenure.[2] After finishing his three-year term as custos, Kraljević also lectured the seminarians of the Franciscan friary in Široki Brijeg. As he didn't have a textbook in Latin, he made his own grammar, which he used to lecture.[10] When in September 1856, Ilija Vidošević had to make his first official visits, he authorised Kraljević to visit some locations he couldn't due to illness.[12] In 1856, on request of the Governor of the Sanjak of Herzegovina Ishak-pasha, Bishop Rafael recommended Kraljević to represent the Catholics in the Idar Majlis of Mostar.[2]

In 1859, due to lack of priests, Kraljević was once again appointed a parson in Veljaci, where he served for a year, organising the education of illiterate adults and children.[2] In November 1859 he asked the Propaganda to issue his work Spiritual Conversations (Razgovori duhovni). The Propaganda sent the work to Bernardino Trionfetti, General of the Franciscan Order, to find someone who speaks Croatian in order to evaluate whether the work is worth publishing. Kraljević's fellow Franciscan Paškal Buconjić was lecturing in Rome at the time, and gave a positive opinion to Trionfetti, who ordered the work to be published in 1860.[10]

In May 1859, Vidošević was elected for a second term as custos, and after one of his definitors Paškal Kvesić died in March 1860, Kraljević was elected to succeed him as definitor on 19 May 1860. At the same time, he was elected a guardian of the Široki Brijeg Franciscan friary, a position he held until 23 April 1861, when he was succeeded by Filip Ančić.[13]

Kraljević began his second term as custos after being elected on 23 April 1862. He went to general chapter of the Franciscan Order held in Assisi in June 1862. He returned from Italy in September. As custos, he oversaw the end of the construction of the Franciscan friary in Široki Brijeg, expanded the monastic land, bought vineyard, and a mill. He also opened six shops near the friary, and leased them.[14]

After the Propaganda published his Spiritual Conversations, he also asked for his grammar to be published as well, which was done in 1863, under the title Grammatica latino-illyrica (Latin-Illyrian grammar).[10]

After Apostolic Vicar Bishop Rafel Barišić died on 14 August 1863, a temporary administration of the Apostolic Vicariate of Herzegovina was given to Anđeo Kraljević on 25 September 1863. He was named Apostolic Vicar of Herzegovina and a Titular Bishop of Motella the next year, on 9 December 1864.[15] He was consecrated in Zadar by Petar Dujam Maupas[16] on 25 March 1865.[17]

After his consecration, Kraljević arrived in Istanbul on 9 May 1865. There he presented a letter to Grand Vizier Mehmed Emin Âli Pasha and chief military commander in Bosnia and Herzegovina Omar Pasha. In both letters, Kraljević described the hardships of the Herzegovinian Catholics. He asked for the tax to be based on the property value and not on the number of inhabitants, regulation of the relations between serfs and feudal lords, prevention of the land seizure from peasants.[2] He also asked the Ottoman government to recognise him as head of the Catholics in Herzegovina so he could participate in the local government and thus resolve issues that concern the Catholics and that the lands, bought by Bishop Rafael Barišić, be registered as the property of the Catholic Church. The Grand Vizier granted him his requests.[16]

After returning to Široki Brijeg in March 1865, he asked the Franciscans to find him a temporary replacement as custos, until the new election. He was replaced by Andrija Karačić on 8 March 1865.[16] He was finally installed as apostolic vicar on 13 June 1865.[17] During the official ceremony, he was greeted by the Ottoman military and civil authorities, along with the consuls of the European powers and many of the faithful Catholics, and members of other religions. It was for the first time since the Ottoman occupation, that the authorities greeted a Catholic bishop.[2]

On 2 July 1868, Pope Pius IX named him Assistant to the Papal throne.[18]

Bishop Anđeo started the construction of the cathedral church, initiated by Bishop Rafael. 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.[19]

Kraljević also wrote his sermons. After he went to the First Vatican Council, he brought with him his sermons, and asked the Propaganda to publish them, which was approved in 1870, under the title Govorenja za svetkovine (Speeches during festivities).[10] In order to avoid asking the Propaganda constantly to publish his books, he supported the idea of Fr. Franjo Milićević about the establishment of a new printing office in Mostar. The equipment was bought in Vienna, and brought to a school Vukodol.[20] The new printing office operated from September 1872,[21] under the name Typographia Missionis catholicae in Hercegovina (Printing office of the Catholic mission in Herzegovina). Three years after its establishment, Bishop Anđeo decided to close down the printing office. However, Fr. Franjo Milićević disagreed with the decision and relocated the printing office.[20]