Berislav Grgić (; born 15 February 1960) is a Bosnian Croat bishop who served between 2008 and 2023 in Norway as the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelate of Tromsø, the northernmost Catholic bishopric in the world. Grgić fled

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 ...

during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, arriving in Norway as a refugee and eventually becoming one of the highest-ranking officials of the Catholic Church in Norway.

Early life

Grgić was born into a Bosnian Croat family in Novo Selo,

Kotor Varoš Kotor Varoš ( sr-cyrl, Котор Варош) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, the municipality has a population of 19,710 inhabitants, while the town of Kotor Varoš has a population o ...

, then a constituent republic of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. He was ordained as a priest by Bishop

Franjo Komarica Franjo Komarica (born 3 February 1946) is a Bosnian-Herzegovinian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Banja Luka from 1989 to 2023. Early life One of eleven children, Komarica was born in Novakovići near Banja Luka, ...

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

on 29 June 1986. Starting his career in his native Roman Catholic Diocese of Banja Luka, he served as chaplain in Stara Rijeka until 1987 and then as vicar in

Glamoč Glamoč ( sr-cyrl, Гламоч) is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Glamoč in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the fo ...

from 1987 to 1988. From then until 1991, he attended 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 ...

in Rome. When the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

between Catholic

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

and Orthodox

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

erupted in 1991, Grgić was teaching at a seminary in

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 ...

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 ...

. He worked for Banja Luka Caritas, with headquarters in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, Croatia, during the

from 1992 until April 1995. Grgić became a war refugee in August 1995 when

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...

authorities which controlled Banja Luka drove him out along with his parishioners. He went to Croatia and from there to Norway in January 1996. The Croatian Bishops' Conference, with the approval of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, immediately named him pastor for 1200 Croat refugees within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo. As such, Grgić taught

catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...

and celebrated

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...

. After learning Norwegian, he was entrusted with pastoral care of all immigrants in the diocese.

Career in Norway

Grgić worked at St Sunniva School and as chaplain at St. Olav's Cathedral, Oslo, from 2000 and 2001 respectively before leaving Norway shortly for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Bavaria, Germany.Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

on 18 December 2008 and consecrated as bishop by Bernt Ivar Eidsvig on 28 March the following year. The consecration took place in a special booth in the Protestant Tromsø Cathedral because the Catholic one was too small. It was attended by the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Norway Elma Kovačević and by Croats from all of Norway. Grgić is the first non-German Bishop of Tromsø. Though his bishopric is as large as the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is very sparsely populated, so he spends most of his time traveling by airplane. A majority of 5,505 Catholics in his bishopric are not Norwegians, but only four are Bosnian Croats. In addition to his mother tongue, Grgić speaks

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, English and Norwegian. His resignation for health reasons was accepted by

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 ...

on 31 August 2023.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grgic, Berislav 1960 births Living people People from Kotor Varoš Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholic bishops 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Norway Bosnia and Herzegovina refugees Refugees in Norway Yugoslav Wars refugees