Ivan Rafael Rodić

Who was Ivan Rafael Rodić?

Ivan Rafael Rodić, was a Croatian Franciscan priest who served as the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belgrade-Smederevo between 1924 and 1936.

Rodić was born in the village of Nurkovac, at the time in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. As a Franciscan, he graduated from the Vienna University of Theology and started teaching theology in Baja, Hungary in 1893, where he remained until 1898.

He became the Abbot of the Franciscan monastery in Vienna, and the provincial minister of several monasteries in Croatia. Between 1881 and 1884, he was the provincial of the Province of St. John of Capistrano that included Slavonia, Syrmia and much of southern Hungary. In 1884, Rodić in his capacity as provincial declined the request of Ivan Antunović to help start a newspaper for the Bunjevci Croats in Bačka, fearing opposition from higher authorities, but supported his cause - using their native language and relaying them news from Croatia. Antunović did nevertheless manage to start the newspaper, Neven, and eventually in 1909 Rodić contributed several articles to it.

He later served as the visitor general of the Order, travelling to numerous monasteries in Europe and America.