Bishop Metod Pirih (9 May 1936 – 23 March 2021Umrl je upokojeni koprski škof Metod Pirih
) was a Slovenian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

prelate who served as the second Bishop of the

Diocese of Koper ) , cocathedral = Co-Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Nova Gorica() , area_km2 = 4,386 , parishes = 100 , population = 266,403 , population_as_of = 2013 , catholics = 181,230 , catholics_percent= 68 , pope ...

from 16 April 1987 until his retirement on 26 May 2012. Before he was a

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of the same

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

since 25 March 1985 until 16 April 1987.

Education

Bishop Pirih was born into a Roman Catholic family of Mirko and Štefanija (née Šuligoj) in the present day

City Municipality of Nova Gorica The City Municipality of Nova Gorica (; sl, Mestna občina Nova Gorica) is a municipality in the traditional region of the Slovene Littoral in western Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the city of Nova Gorica. Nova Gorica became a munici ...

, that in this time was governed by Italians and was baptized at the local church on the day of his birth. After finishing primary school, which he attended in his native

Lokovec Lokovec () is a dispersed settlement in western Slovenia in the City Municipality of Nova Gorica. It is located on the Banjšice Plateau overlooking the narrow Čepovan Valley, which divides it from the Trnovo Forest Plateau ( sl, Trnovski gozd) on ...

in 1948 and graduation from a classical gymnasium in

Pazin Pazin ( it, Pisino, german: Mitterburg) 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 8,6 ...

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 ...

in 1956, he was admitted to the Major Theological Seminary in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

and in the same time joined the Theological Faculty at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

, where he studied from 1956 until 1963 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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

on June 26, 1963 in

for the

Diocese of Trieste–Koper The Italian Roman Catholic Diocese of Trieste ( la, Dioecesis Tergestina) in the Triveneto, has existed since no later than 524, and in its current form since 1977. The bishop's seat is in Trieste Cathedral. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese ...

(for its Slovenian part), after he completed his philosophical and theological studies. In the meantime, he also served his compulsory military service in the Yugoslavian Army.

Pastoral and educational work

After his ordination Fr. Pirih served a short time as a parish priest in

Solkan Solkan ( or ; it, Salcano, german: link=no, Sollingen or ''Salcano'') is a settlement in the Municipality of Nova Gorica in the Gorizia region of western Slovenia, at the border with Italy. Although it forms a single urban area with the city of N ...

(1963–1964) and after that became a personal assistant to Bishop

Janez Jenko Janez may refer to: People: * Janez (given name), a Slovene given name * Janež, a Slovene surname In music: *Janez Detd., a Belgian rock band May also refer to a semi-pejorative term used in the Croatian North and beyond for Slovenes. {{disambi ...

from 1964 until 1974, when he continued his postgraduate studies at the

Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum The Teresianum, officially the Pontifical Theological Faculty and Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum (), is a pontifical faculty in Rome. It was established by the Discalced Carmelites for the study of scientific theology and anthro ...

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 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in the camp of a spiritual theology in 1976. After returning to his homeland, he became a spiritual director at the Major Theological Seminary in

(1976–1984), and in 1977 he again became Bishop Jenko's personal assistant. As an educator of future priests, he remained in Ljubljana until 1984, when Bishop Jenko appointed him a

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of the Diocese of Koper. Between 1984 and 1986, he was the head of the Pastoral Service in

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

and the parish administrator of the parish in Podgorje. In the meantime, he also was a lecturer at the

unit of the Faculty of Theology.

Prelate

On March 25, 1985, he was appointed by

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 ...

as the

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Koper ) , cocathedral = Co-Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Nova Gorica() , area_km2 = 4,386 , parishes = 100 , population = 266,403 , population_as_of = 2013 , catholics = 181,230 , catholics_percent= 68 , pope ...

. On May 27, 1985, he was consecrated as bishop by the Diocesan Bishop

and other prelates of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in

. Two years later, on April 16, 1987 he succeeded his predecessor. Bishop Pirih retired on May 26, 2012 after reaching the age limit of 75 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirih, Metod 1936 births 2021 deaths People from the City Municipality of Nova Gorica University of Ljubljana alumni Teresianum alumni University of Ljubljana faculty 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovenia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovenia 21st-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II