Bishop Ćiril Kos (19 November 1919 – 6 July 2003) was a Croatian

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate who served as the Diocesan Bishop of Đakovo or Bosna and Srijem since 6 February 1974 until his retirement on 6 February 1997. He also was a political prisoner in the former communist Yugoslavia during 1959–1962.

Life

Bishop Kos was born into a Croatian Roman Catholic family of Josip and Marija (née Fadiga) in the present-day

Varaždin County Varaždin County () is a county in Hrvatsko Zagorje. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin. Geography The county contains the city of Varaždin, the towns of: Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Top ...

, but in childhood transferred with own parents and grew-up in

Harkanovci Harkanovci is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D517 highway. Until the end of the World War II, the majority of the inhabitants were Danube Swabians, some of them came around 1865 - 1880 from Tolna County (former)-Hungary, who named ...

. After graduation of the school education in

Široki Brijeg Široki Brijeg () is a city and the regional capital of West Herzegovina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. the town itself had a population of 6,149 and the municipality of 28,929. Name ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, he consequently joined the Major Theological Seminary in

Đakovo Đakovo (; , , sr-Cyrl, Ђаково) is a town in the region of Slavonia, Croatia. Đakovo is the centre of the fertile and rich Đakovo region ( ). Etymology The etymology of the name is the (diákos) in Slavic form đak (pupil). The Hungar ...

, and was ordained as

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 ...

on July 9, 1944 for the Diocese of Bosna, Đakovo and Srijem, after completed his philosophical and theological studies. From August 1944 until the end of October of the same year, he served as chaplain in

Srijemska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Serbia. It is situated on the left bank of the Sava, Sava river. , the city has a total population of 36,764 inhabitants, while its adminis ...

. In short, due to the circumstances of the war, he also served as the administrator of the same parish. From 1946 to 1951 he was the parish priest in Trnjani near

Garčin Garčin is a village and a municipality in Brod-Posavina County, Croatia. Demographics In 2021, the municipality had 3,951 residents in the following 8 settlements: * Bicko Selo, population 432 *Garčin, population 733 * Klokočevik, population ...

. From 1951 to 1959 he was a spiritual director at his alma mater – Theological Seminary in

. Here Fr. Kos was arrested and sentenced by the communist authorities to 7 years in prison. He served his sentence in

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

and

Stara Gradiška Stara Gradiška (, ) is a village and a municipality in Slavonia, in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia. It is located on the left bank of the river Sava, across from Gradiška in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Etymology The first word in the name mea ...

from October 5, 1959 to April 5, 1962. From 1962 to 1973 he served as secretary of the Episcopal Ordinariate in Đakovo. From 1973 to 1974, he was a capitular vicar. On February 6, 1974, he was appointed by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

as the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Đakovo or Bosna and Srijem. On March 17, 1974, he was consecrated as bishop by Archbishop Mario Cagna and other prelates of the

Roman 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 ...

in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in

. Retired on February 6, 1997, after reached age limit of 75 years old, and was successed by his

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

. He died at the clinical hospital in

on July 6, 2003, and was buried in the tomb of the Bishops of Đakovo and Srijem in the crypt of the cathedral-basilica in

two days later.

Life

References

Further reading