Križevci, (IKA) – On May 12, the vladika (bishop) of Križevci, Msgr. Slavomir Miklovš, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his episcopal service in the Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Križevci. The participants in the liturgical celebration included the archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić; the new apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, and twenty-eight archbishops and bishops from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Ukraine. In addition to crowds of the faithful, priests of the Western and Eastern Rites, and religious, there were also representatives of the diplomatic corps in Croatia; as well as national, county and municipal authorities.

In the homily, Cardinal Bozanić presented the life and work of Vladika Slavomir of Križevci, noting the numerous difficulties that he had encountered during his pastoral work. He was ordained to the episcopate on March 25, 1983 in Ruski Krstur by the secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Archbishop Miroslav Stefan Marusyn. The celebration of his taking over the eparchy (diocese) at the episcopal cathedral of the Greek Catholic Kreževci Eparchy was conducted by my predecessor, the archbishop of Zagreb and the Metropolitan of Croatia-Slavonia, the late Cardinal Franjo Kuharić of blessed memory, in the ancient “free royal city” of Križevci, in this Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Pentecost Monday, May 23, 1983, noted Cardinal Bozanić.
Msgr. Miklovš was born on May 16, 1934, in the parish of Đurđevo in Vojvodina. He completed secondary school in Rijeka and Pazin, and graduated from the Catholic Theological Faculty in Zagreb. He was ordained a priest of the Križevci Eparchy on July 7, 1964 in Đurđevo. He served as a parochial vicar in Ruski Krstur and then was the parish administrator in Vukovar. He later served as the head of the accounting office and the chancellor of the Križevci Eparchy. After 1969, he devoted most of his time to preparing candidates for the priesthood, as the spiritual advisor of the Greek Catholic seminary in Zagreb. It was while holding this position that he was appointed as the vladika of Križevci. The situation in the Križevci Eparchy in the former communist Yugoslavia was highly complex. A small number of Greek Catholics were spread over the entire country. The priests and their families felt the weight of the complex political and material situation. Under such circumstances, Vladika Slavomir attempted to help everyone to the extent of his ability. With the arrival of democracy, accompanied by war, murder, persecution, exile and various forms of suffering, particularly in Srijem, Slavonia and Bosnia, new difficulties arose for the faithful of this eparchy. Under the leadership of Vladika Slavomir, Caritas was organized and provided direct assistance to many. Forced exile changed the demographic picture of the eparchy. Many Greek Catholics, particularly Ukrainians, left their homes and sought a safer life in America, Australia and New Zealand.

At the beginning of the third millennium, the Križevci Eparchy was divided. With the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia and the establishment of new countries, the Holy See established two new independent eparchies — in May 2001 for the Greek Catholics in Macedonia and in November 2003 for the Greek Catholics in Serbia and Montenegro, with the see in Ruski Krstur. Thus, the number of Greek Catholics and the territory of the Križevci Eparchy was reduced, still including the Greek Catholics in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia. In addition to Msgr. Slavomir’s regular episcopal duties and obligations, every year from 1983 to 1990 he went to Slovakia, where he ordained seminarians to the priesthood, and thus became a permanent part of the life of that Church. Of the forty-three persons ordained by Vladika Slavomir, two have been named bishops: the exarch in Prague for the Czech Republic and the vladika of the newly established eparchy in Bratislav, both of whom were present at this celebration, said the cardinal.

During Msgr. Slavomir’s episcopal service in the Križevci Eparchy and in the bodies of the Conference of Bishops, he attempted to act in the spirit of the Gospels and Church documents, in all things as a Greek Catholic and member of the Eastern Rite, engaged by nature but unobtrusive, quiet and reserved, simple of demeanor and nearly monastic in his way of life, said the cardinal and cited the words of Pope Benedict XVI in a letter to the celebrant, that many have greatly esteemed the skill of Vladika Slavomir, his fundamental piety, calmness of spirit, concern for all when he spared no efforts to demonstrate love of the Church, and particularly toward his eparchy. This is actually a reflection of his piety and filial devotion to the intercession of Our Lady, whose image as the Patroness graces his episcopal coat-of-arms. His episcopal motto is as follows: “Under your grace.” Devotion to Mary led him to links with the Work of Mary or Focolari, whom he allowed to operate in the very center of the diocese, in Kreževci, said Cardinal Bozanić.

The cardinal pointed out that as a suffragan diocese of the Zagreb Archdiocese in Croatia-Slavonia the church territory, the Križevci Eparchy is a part of the Catholic Church in Croatia and for centuries has gathered Catholics of the Eastern Byzantine-Slavic Rite of the Croatian, Ruthene and Ukrainian heritage. Since the concept of the rite, in addition to the liturgical aspects, also includes spiritual and legal features, the Križevaci Eparchy is not only one more diocese or a particular Church in Croatia but is also a Church with an autonomy described in the Code of Canons of Oriental Churches. With the presence of the Greek Catholic Kreževci Eparchy, a small number of believers in a large territory together with other Croatian Roman Catholic dioceses, the Catholic Church in Croatia truly breathes, in the words of the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, with two full lungs, said Cardinal Bozanić.

The cardinal then spoke of a letter from the bishops of the Croatian-Slavonian Church Territory dated 2006, in which they urged Roman Catholic priests and faithful to help their brothers and sisters of the Eastern Rite worship according to their particular ceremonies in compliance with their regulations but also urged the priests and faithful of the Catholic Eastern Rite to cultivate and preserve their rich ceremonial heritage. At the same time, they also encouraged the Catholics of the Eastern Rite to put aside all fear and complexes regarding the other rite of the religious majority and urged them to appreciate and cultivate their own rite, and to raise their children within its traditions. Cardinal Bozanić announced that there will soon be a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Greek Catholic presence in Croatia, noting the reasons and circumstances for the arrival of Uskoks in Žumberak and the history of their communion with the Catholic Church.
“Dear Greek Catholic faithful of the Kreževci Eparchy, the Catholic Church in Croatia is proud of you,” said Cardinal Bozanić at the end of the celebration.