Stanislav Hočevar ( sr-cyr, Станислав Хочевар; born 12 November 1945) is a Slovenian

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 A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

. He was the

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the Archdiocese of Belgrade in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

between 2001 and 2022. He was also the president of the International Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius between 2001 and 2011.GCatholic.or
Metropolitan Archdiocese of Beograd, Serbia
/ref>

Biography

Hočevar was born on 12 November 1945 in the village of Jelendol in PR Slovenia, then part of the

Federal People's 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 ...

. After the primary school graduation in 1960 in Škocjan, he joined the Salesians of Don Bosco. He studied gymnasium in Križevci and

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 ...

. Hočevar served in the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

in 1966/67 in

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

. After that, he was instructor at the catholic novitiate in Želimlje near

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

. He studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the Theological Faculty in Ljubljana. Hočevar 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 ...

on 29 June 1973. He achieved a

magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from , "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the doctorate; ...

at the Theological Faculty in Ljubljana in 1979 with

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

on '' Personal sin in today's

hamartiology In Christianity, sin is an immoral act and transgression of divine law. The doctrine of sin is central to the Christian faith, since its basic message is about redemption in Christ. Hamartiology, a branch of Christian theology which is th ...

''.Arcbihop page
at the Archdiocese of Belgrade official site Between 1982 and 1984, Hočevar was the deputy of the Salesian Provincial of Slovenia. Later, he served four years as the principal of the catholic boarding school in Klagenfurt,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. In 1988, he was appointed Salesian Provincial of Slovenia, the position he held until 2000. He has taken part in four Salesian General Chapters in

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 served two terms as the president of the Conference of senior religious leaders of Slovenia, and then for two years as the Secretary General of the same conference. In 1999, during the

NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...

, Hočevar launched an initiative titled "Peace to you, the Balkans" and also established a fund for families with many children called "Anin sklad" (''Ana's Harmony''). In 2000,

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

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 Hočevar the

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 ...

of Belgrade. He was ordained a bishop on 24 May 2000 in the Church of Mary Help of Christians in Ljubljana. On 31 March 2001, pope accepted a request for the removal of the former archbishop France Perko, so Hočevar became Archbishop of Belgrade. On 16 April 2001, he was elected president of the Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia, later renamed International Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius, an office he served until 2011. On 5 November 2022, it was announced that Pope Francis had accepted Hočevar's resignation as Archbishop of Belgrade and on the same day it was announced that Ladislav Nemet, bishop of Zrenjanin since 2008, would succeed him.Holy See Press Office (press.vatican.va) (in Italian
Rinunce e nomine, 05.11.2022.
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hocevar, Stanislav 1945 births 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Serbia Serbian Roman Catholic archbishops Slovenian Roman Catholic archbishops Serbian people of Slovenian descent Living people People from the Municipality of Škocjan Salesian bishops