Zdenko Ivan Križić (born 2 February 1953) is a

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 ...

n Discalced Carmelite and prelate of the

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 ...

. He has been the Archbishop of Split-Makarska since September 2023. He was the bishop of Gospić-Senj from 2016 to 2023.

Education

Križić was born into a

Bosnian Croat The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats (), are native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and constitute the third most populous ethnic group, after Bosniaks and Serbs. They are also one of ...

Roman Catholic family near

Doboj Doboj ( sr-Cyrl, Добој, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Bosna (river), Bosna river, in the northern region of Republika Srpska. As of 2013, it has a population of 71,441 inhabita ...

in the Bosnia and was baptized to Ivan. After graduation of the secondary school of the

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

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 ...

, he joined a

mendicant order Mendicant orders are primarily certain Catholic religious orders that have vowed for their male members a lifestyle of poverty, traveling, and living in urban areas for purposes of preaching, evangelization, and ministry, especially to less we ...

of the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbreviation, abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catho ...

. Afterwards, the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

, where he studied philosophy in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and theology in the Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum 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 made his first

vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a wedding ...

on 27 July 1970 and his solemn vows on 16 July 1976 in Zagreb,. He 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 26 June 1977, after completing his philosophical and theological studies. Fr. Križić continued his studies of spirituality at the Teresianum, where he received his master's degree in 1978.

Pastoral and educational work

Zdenko held numerous positions: Prefect of the Minor Seminary of the Carmelite Fathers in

(1978–1984); first adviser to the Carmelite Commissariat (1984–1990); prior of the monastery in Remete, Zagreb (1984–1990); external professor at the Institute for Christian Spirituality in Zagreb (1984–2012); Provincial of the Croatian Carmelite Province of Saint Joseph the Father (1990–1996); Vicar of the Province (1996-2002); prior of the monastery in Remete, Zagreb (1996–1997); prior of the newly founded monastery in

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 ...

(1997–2002); master of novices (1997–1999); Provincial of the Croatian Carmelite Province (2002–2003); Vicar General of the Order of Carmel (2003–2009); prior of the monastery in Krk and provincial advisor (2011–2012); since 2012 he has been the rector of the Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum in Rome until his election as bishop.

Prelate

On 4 April 2016, he was appointed 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 ...

as the second Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Gospić-Senj. On 25 May 2016 he was consecrated as bishop by Cardinal

Josip Bozanić Josip Bozanić (; born 20 March 1949) is a Croatian prelate of the Catholic Church who was the Archbishop of Zagreb from 1997 to 2023. He was previously Bishop of Krk from 1989 to 1997. He was made a cardinal in 2003. Bozanić is the Grand Prio ...

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 Annunciation in

Gospić Gospić () is a town in Lika, Croatia. It is the seat of the Lika-Senj County. Geography Gospić is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika. It is the administrative center of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located n ...

. On 8 September 2023 he was appointed Archbishop of Split-Makarska. His installation is scheduled for 28 October.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Križić, Zdenko 1953 births Living people People from Doboj Teresianum alumni Discalced Carmelite bishops Archbishops of Split-Makarska Bishops appointed by Pope Francis 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Croatia Croatian Roman Catholic archbishops