Milan Zgrablić (born 29 August 1960) is a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who has been the archbishop of

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

since 2023, after serving a year there as archbishop coadjutor.

Early life

Milan Zgrablić was born on 29 August 1960 in

Pazin Pazin (, ) is a town in western Croatia, the administrative seat of Istria County. It is known for the medieval Pazin Castle, the former residence of the Istrian margraves. Geography The town had a population of 8,638 in 2011, of which 4,386 li ...

in the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

(now Croatia), the fifth child born to a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

family headed by Josip and Josipa Zgrablić. After graduating from the primary school in

in 1976 and studying at the

Minor Seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Priesthood (Catholic Church), Catholic priests. They are generally ...

in Pazin from 1976 to 1978, he attended the Zmajević Minor Seminary in

from 1978 to 1980. He then entered both the

University of Rijeka The University of Rijeka () is in the city of Rijeka, Croatia, with faculties in cities throughout the regions of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Primorje, Istria and Lika. The University of Rijeka is composed of eleven faculties, one art academy ...

and the Major Theological Seminary in

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

, where he completed his work in philosophy and theology in 1986. He was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

for the Diocese of Poreč-Pula on 8 June 1986 in Rovinj.

Priest

He was parish vicar in

Rovinj Rovinj (; Venetian and ; Istriot: or ; ; ) is a city in west Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 14,294 (2011). Located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, it is a popular tourist resort and beach destin ...

in 1986/1987 and a teacher and catechist at the Zmajević Minor Seminary in

from 1987 to 1990. He then moved to his native diocese of Poreč-Pula and was the diocesan commissioner for spiritual vocations from 1990 to 1992. He then undertook postgraduate studies in at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

from 1992 to 1994, earning a licentiate in spirituality. Returning from Rome, Zgrablić held the following positions: head of the Pazin College with the Classical Gymnasium (1994–1997); director of the diocesan Caritas (1997–2007); and parish priest in

(1997–2015). From 2008 to 2022 he managed the Diocesan Institution for the Support of Clergy and Other Church Officials. From September 2015 to April 2022, he was cathedral pastor at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary in

Poreč Poreč (; known also by several alternative names) is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, west Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, which was designated a UN ...

. He was made a canon of the Cathedral of St. Mavra in Poreč in 2019.

Archbishop

On 7 April 2022,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed him archbishop coadjutor of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zadar The Archdiocese of Zadar (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic church in Croatia.Cathedral of St. Anastasia The Cathedral of St. Anastasia () is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Zadar, Croatia, seat of the Archdiocese of Zadar, and the largest church in all of Dalmatia (the coastal region of Croatia). The church's origins date back to a Christian basi ...

on 25 June 2022 from Želimir Puljić, Archbishop of Zadar. He chose as his episcopal motto the words "" ("and bear fruit"), taken from the words of Jesus in John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit and your fruit to remain, and the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." He succeeded as archbishop upon Puljić's retirement on 14 January 2023.

References

External links

Biography on the website of the archdiocese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zgrablić, Milan 1960 births Living people People from Pazin University of Rijeka alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni 20th-century Croatian Roman Catholic priests Archbishops of Zadar Bishops appointed by Pope Francis 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Croatia