Josip Uhač ( it, Giuseppe Uhac; 20 July 1924 – 18 January 1998) was a papal diplomat and secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples.

Early years

Uhač was born in

Brseč Brseč ( it, Bersezio) is a village in western Croatia. It is part of Mošćenička Draga municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The village is located on the steep, eastern shore of the Istrian peninsula, on cliffs high above the Kvarn ...

(Moschiena) in what is now

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. He was educated at the seminary of

Fiume Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

, the seminary of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, the seminary of Gorizia, and the

Pontifical Roman Seminary , type = Major seminary , established = , founder = Pope Pius IV , parent = Diocese of Rome , religious_affiliation = Catholic Church , rector = Gabriele Fara ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He also attended the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Ponti ...

in Rome from 1945 to 1954 where he revived a doctorate in theology in 1951 and a doctorate in

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

in 1954. While at the Pontifical Lateran University he concurrently studied at the

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy ( la, Pontificia Ecclesiastica Academia, it, Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic c ...

in Rome where he studied diplomacy. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood on 16 April 1949 in Rome. After his ordination in Rome he did pastoral ministry in the church of S. Girolamo degli Illirici and further studies, 1949-1954. He joined the Vatican diplomatic service on 1 March 1954. He served as secretary of the nunciature in Panamá. He was created a Privy chamberlain supernumerary on 25 March 1955. He served as secretary of the nunciature in Egypt, auditor of the nunciature in Germany, of the nunciature in Spain. He was named counselor of the nunciature in 1967-1970. He was created

Prelate of honour of His Holiness A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop ...

on 16 February 1967.

Episcopate

He was appointed

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Tharros Tharros (also spelled Tharras, Archaic Greek: , Hellenistic Greek, Tarras or Tarrae, Τάρραι) was an ancient city and former bishopric on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy. It is currently a Latin Catholic titular see and an archaeological ...

and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Pakistan on 23 June 1970 by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

. He was consecrated on 5 September 1970 in Rijeka by Viktor Buric, Archbishop of Rijeka-Senj, assisted by Dragutin Nežic, Bishop of Porec i Pula, and Josip Pavlišic, Coadjutor Archbishop of Rijeka-Senj. He was appointed Pro-Nuncio to Cameroon and Apostolic Delegate to Equatorial Guinea on 7 October 1976. He was given the additional responsibility of Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Gabon on 15 January 1977. He went on to serve as Apostolic Nuncio to Zaire beginning 3 June 1981 and

Apostolic Nuncio to Germany The Apostolic Nunciature to Germany is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio to Germany with the rank of an ambassador. Th ...

from 3 August 1984.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed him secretary of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

on 21 June 1991. He was also president of the

Pontifical Missionary Works A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

from 1991-1995. Pope John Paul planned to make him a cardinal in the consistory of 21 February 1998, but Uhač died on the morning of 18 January 1998, a few hours before the pope announced the consistory. He was 73. Uhač was buried in the parish church of Saint George, Brseč, Archdiocese of Rijeka-Senj, Croatia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uhac, Josip 1924 births 1998 deaths Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic titular archbishops Pontifical Lateran University alumni Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Apostolic Nuncios to Gabon Apostolic Nuncios to Pakistan Apostolic Nuncios to Cameroon Apostolic Nuncios to Equatorial Guinea Apostolic Nuncios to West Germany Apostolic Nuncios to Germany Apostolic Nuncios to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Officials of the Roman Curia Yugoslav Roman Catholic priests Yugoslav expatriates in Pakistan People from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Yugoslav expatriates in Italy Yugoslav expatriates in Cameroon Yugoslav expatriates in West Germany Yugoslav expatriates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo