Ivan Devčić

Archbishop Ivan Devčić Msgr.
Archbishop of Rijeka
Archdiocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rijeka
See	Rijeka
Appointed	17 November 2000
Installed	16 December 2000
Predecessor	Position established
Orders
Ordination	28 June 1975
Consecration	16 December 2000 by Josip Bozanić
Personal details
Birth name	Ivan Devčić
Born	(1948-01-01) 1 January 1948 Krasno, SFR Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Nationality	Croatian
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Alma mater	Pontifical Gregorian University
Motto	Krist naša nada Christ our hope
Coat of arms

Ivan Devčić (born in Krasno near Senj, 1 January 1948) is a Croatian archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rijeka and university professor of philosophy.

Early life and education

Ivan Devčić was born in a small village of Krasno near Senj on January 1, 1948 to Antun and Kata Devčić. He finished primary school in Krasno, after which he attended minor seminaries in Rijeka and Pazin from 1963 until 1967. Devčić started his high education at the Rijeka branch of the Zagreb Catholic Theological Faculty, and finished it at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He gained his doctorate in theology with thesis Der Personalismus bei Nikola A. Berdjajew. Ver-such einer Philosophie des Konkreten. He was ordered as a priest of the Archdiocese of Rijeka on June 28, 1975.^[1]

Career

After Devčić returned from Rome, he got intensively engaged in research and teaching work, and since teaches philosophy at the Rijeka branch of the Zagreb Catholic Theological Faculty. He has published several scientific articles and books. In the Archdiocese of Rijeka he served as Vice-Rector of the Theological Seminary (1980-1985), Rector and Bursar of the Seminary (1985-2000), and professor of philosophy at the Rijeka branch of the Zagreb Catholic Theological Faculty (1995-present).^[2][3] On November 17, 2000, Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop and Metropolitan. He was ordered in December 16, 2000. The main consecrate was Cardinal Josip Bozanić, while co-consecrates were Msgr. Ivan Milovan and Msgr. Mile Bogović.^[4]

General outlook

Msgr. Devčić is considered to be theologically moderate.

On Christmas of 2013, when the Croatian society was deeply divided on the issue of 2013 marriage referendum on which it was proposed to change the Constitution so it would defined marriage only as a union between a man and a woman, Archbishop Devčić held a Mass and stated in his homily:

"God isn't legitimized only by unity but also by diversity and thus gives us one Gospel in four different forms. God doesn't like uniformity, he likes the unity in diversity, a unity that does not exclude, he likes multitude of expressions and forms. If we were created in the image of God, and the Bible tells us that we were, we should act same and accept and promote unity in difference and difference in unity in our life together."

This Mass was attended by the Prime Minister Zoran Milanović who has thus made a precedent because all of his predecessors traditionally went to Zagreb Cathedral to celebrate Christmas Mass, so he became the first Prime Minister to visit Rijeka Cathedral on Christmas. This was interpreted as Milanović's protest against cardinal Josip Bozanić who intervened in the political campaign urging people to vote for changing the Constitution, as well as because Bozanić openly criticized Milanović's Government for introducing sex education in schools in his homily on 2012 Christmas Mass.^[5][6]

Prime Minister Ivica Račan described Devčić as "a tolerant intellectual with strong spirituality."

References