Josip Bozanić was born on 20 March 1949 in Rijeka, Croatia, and was ordained a priest on 29 June 1975. He holds licentiates in dogmatic theology and in canon law. He served as chancellor and vicar general of the Diocese of Krk and lectured in dogmatic theology and canon law at the Theological Institute of Rijeka. Appointed coadjutor Bishop of Krk on 10 May 1989, he was ordained a bishop on 25 June 1989 and became Bishop of Krk on 14 November 1989. He was apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Rijeka-Senj from 5 June to 22 November 1996.
On 5 July 1997 Bozanić was named Archbishop of Zagreb. He was elected president of the Bishops' Conference of Croatia in 1997 and served until 2007, and he was vice-president of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences from 2001 until 2011. Saint John Paul II created him a cardinal in the consistory of 21 October 2003, assigning him the titular church of San Girolamo dei Croati. He led the Zagreb archdiocese through Croatia's post-war decades and its accession to the European Union.
Pope Francis accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Zagreb on 15 April 2023. Bozanić participated as a cardinal elector in the conclave of April 2005, which elected Pope Benedict XVI, in the conclave of March 2013, which elected Pope Francis, and in the conclave of 2025, which elected Pope Leo XIV.
Consequential Quotes
Europe without God runs the risk of becoming a den of anguish and of building a civilization of fear. The Word of God restores hope and joy.
In fact, a culture that breaks with the Christian celebration, that is, with the celebration of the Mystery of the kindness of God and salvation in Christ, jeopardizes its own happiness and pushes Europe towards a civilization of affliction and of sadness. The Word of God restores to the European man the capacity to celebrate life. Wherever the celebration of the Christian mysteries exist, there the Church is young, and that guarantees youth for Europe.
For the Church in Croatia, Cardinal Stepinac is a model of fidelity to Christ, to the Church, to the Holy See. Blessed Stepinac was a true pastor: he dedicated himself to defend the fundamental rights of all men and all peoples, to defend those who were victims of persecutions.
I think the most important challenge is that of secularization, which is increasingly present in our society and which shows its influence above all in the new generations. The Church hears, moreover, the call to dedicate itself to families, which are also exposed to the secularized culture, and which at this time are hit by the lack of work, in this situation of generalized social and economic difficulties.
Moreover, I believe that Croatia — given that it is situated in a region of the continent in which both persons meet and coexist who profess the Christian faith (members of the Catholic Church or of the Orthodox Church as well as persons who profess the Muslim religion) — is called to be a place of confessional and interreligious dialogue. Croatia is called to be a bridge for Europe.
Major Works & Initiatives
Bishop of Krk
Named coadjutor on 10 May 1989 and ordained a bishop on 25 June 1989; diocesan bishop of the island diocese of Krk from 14 November 1989 to 1997.
Archbishop of Zagreb
Led Croatia's capital archdiocese from 5 July 1997 until his resignation was accepted on 15 April 2023.
President, Bishops' Conference of Croatia
President of the Croatian bishops' conference from 1997 to 2007, after earlier service as president of its commissions for the laity and for relations with the state.
Vice-President, Council of European Bishops' Conferences
Vice-president of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) from 2001 until 2011.
Controversies
The Stepinac canonisation dispute
Bozanić championed the canonisation cause of Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, his wartime predecessor as Archbishop of Zagreb, gathering historical documents in support of the cause. The Serbian Orthodox Church has opposed the canonisation, questioning Stepinac's conduct during the Second World War under the Ustaše regime; the Croatian Church maintains that the collaboration accusation is a calumny launched by the Communist regime that imprisoned Stepinac. A mixed Croatian Catholic-Serbian Orthodox commission, on which Bozanić served, concluded its work in July 2017 by recording that the interpretations held by Catholic Croats and Serbian Orthodox still remain divergent, and the canonisation process has not advanced.
The 2013 marriage referendum
In 2013 Bozanić intervened in the campaign over a Croatian referendum to define marriage in the constitution as a union between a man and a woman, issuing a pastoral letter to be read in Catholic churches across the country supporting the proposed definition. The referendum passed by 66% to 34% and was regarded as a significant victory for the Church; it was contested publicly, and the Croatian government of the day opposed the proposal and pursued civil-union legislation instead.
Sources
- Holy See Press Office — biography
- Wikipedia
- Catholic News Agency — Bozanic on the Bible and Europe, 8 October 2008
- ZENIT — Croatia looks forward to papal visit (interview), 3 June 2011
- ZENIT — Conclusions of the Serbo-Croatian Commission on Cardinal Stepinac, 13 July 2017
- EWTN Vatican — Cardinal Stepinac's beatification: 25 years on, October 2023
- Catholic News Agency — Croatians vote to protect marriage from redefinition, 2 December 2013