Pavao Žanić

Pavao Žanić (20 May 1918 – 11 January 2000) was the bishop of Mostar-Duvno in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1980-93.[1] A leading critic of the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje, he was the local ordinary in 1981 when the apparitions began.

Biography

Born in 1918 in Kaštel Novi (present-day Republic of Croatia), he was ordained a priest on 1 June 1941.[1] In 1970, he was appointed coadjutor of Mostar-Duvno and titular bishop of Edistiana.[1] In 1980, became the ordinary bishop of Mostar-Duvno.[1]

Bishop Pavao Žanić was originally in favor of the Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, but later denounced them. This was attributed mainly to hostilities with the Franciscans, the administrators of St. James Church, where the visions were allegedly taking place.[2]

In April 1986, Žanić submitted a negative report of the apparitions to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, at the time Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican. The Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia was then given responsibility for overseeing the matter.[2]

Bishop Žanić retired in 1993 at age 75 and was succeeded by Bishop Ratko Perić. He died in 2000, aged 81.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Bishop Pavao Žanić". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Msgr. Pavao Žanic, Bishop of Mostar. "The Truth About Medjugorje" (1990); an article by the Bishop who was ordinary of the diocese from the time of the beginning of the alleged messages through 1993, giving many reasons why he does not consider the messages to be authentic., newjerusalem.com; accessed 20 April 2015.