Geopolitical aspect of Vatican policy: the case of diocesan spatial organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The article presents a review of diocesan spatial organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina by placing it, in a narrow sense, in the context of geopolitical consideration. In the broader sense, observing it from the aspect of the role of the Vatican state and the Catholic Church in the geopolitical configuration of the Balkans, the article contextualizes this spatial organization in relation to the wider regional and European context. In a theoretical sense, the article delves into theoretical aspects of political geography and the geography of religion. In the methodological sense, the article initially explains the historical context of the emergence of diocesan spatial organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, based on census data, the article researches and cartographically interprets the discrepancies between diocesan borders and areas inhabited by Croats as the only predominantly Catholic constituent people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Finally, the article confirms the hypothesis that, unlike the ethnic-based approach, the geopolitical approach is crucial in the spatial organization of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Keywords

• Bosnia and Herzegovina, Catholic Church, dioceses, Croats, geopolitics