Bishop Valter Župan (born 10 August 1938) is 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

Krk Krk (; ; ; ; archaic German: ''Vegl'', ; ) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar county. Krk is tied with Cres as the largest Adriatic island, depending o ...

since 31 January 1998 until his retirement on 24 January 2015.

Life

Bishop Župan was born into a Croatian Roman Catholic family of Guido and Ivka (née Hrončić) in the island of Lošinj, that at that time was part of the Kingdom of Italy. After graduation and classical gymnasium in the diocesan 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 ...

, he was admitted to the Major Seminary in Pazin, 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 8, 1962 for the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Krk The Diocese of Krk (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church active on the Croatian islands of Krk, Rab, Cres and Lošinj, as well as a few smaller ones and also a mission serving the Croatian people of ...

, after completed his philosophical and theological studies. After finished his education, Fr. Župan served as the assistant priest in

Mali Lošinj Mali Lošinj is a town in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, on the island of Lošinj, in western Croatia. At the time of the 2021 census, there were 7,537 inhabitants, of whom 86% were Croats. The town of Mali Lošinj itself had an urban populat ...

(1962–1970) and continued from 1970 to 1974 as parish priest and dean in Omišalj; from 1974 to 1979 as parish priest and dean in

Cres Cres is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern islands in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from Rijeka, Krk island or from the Istrian peninsula (line Brestova-Porozina). With an area of , Cres has the same si ...

; from 1979 to 1989 parish priest and dean in

; from 1989 to 1997 as the

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the Diocese of Krk. He was appointed the

Diocesan Administrator A diocesan administrator (also known as archdiocesan administrator, archiepiscopal administrator and eparchial administrator for the case, respectively, of an archdiocese, archeparchy, and eparchy) is a provisional ordinary of a Catholic partic ...

of the Krk diocese on October 6, 1997. On January 31, 1998, he was appointed by

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 ...

as the Diocesan Bishop of the

. On March 15, 1998, he was consecrated as bishop by his predecessor, Archbishop Josip Bozanić 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 the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in

. Retired on January 24, 2015 after reaching of the age limit of 75 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Župan, Valter 1938 births Living people People from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II