Josip Uhač (; 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 () 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 Kvarner Gulf, about ...

(Moschiena) in what is now

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 was educated at the seminary of

Fiume Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a po ...

, the seminary of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, the seminary of Gorizia, and the

Pontifical Roman Seminary The Pontifical Roman Major Seminary () is the major seminary of the Diocese of Rome. It is located at the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Since 2017, the rector of the seminary has been Gabriele Faraghini, a priest of the Little Brothers of ...

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, ...

. He also attended the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

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

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

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

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (, ) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. Despite its name, the P ...

in Rome where he studied diplomacy. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

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 has granted this title of honour. They are addressed as Monsignor (typically abbreviated 'Mgr') and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.

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, , , ''Tárrai/Tárras''; ) 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 site near the village of San Giovanni d ...

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

. 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 (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed him secretary of the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

on 21 June 1991. He was also president of the Pontifical Missionary Works 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