Vjekoslav Grmic
Encyclopedia
Vekoslav Grmič was a Slovenia
n Roman Catholic bishop
and theologian, known for his sympathy towards Socialist ideas.
n village of Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici in what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He studied at a Roman Catholic priest seminary in Maribor
. Already as a young man, he became influenced by the social thought of Janez Evangelist Krek
, Edvard Kocbek
and the German
philosopher Romano Guardini
. After the invasion of Yugoslavia
and the Nazi occupation of northern Slovenia
in April 1941, Grmič started collaborating with the Communist-led Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
.
In 1950, he was ordained priest and between 1952 and 1958 he worked as a parish priest of Vransko
. In 1961 he graduated from the Theological Faculty in Ljubljana
with a thesis on the theological elements in the existentialist concept of angst
. From 1962 until his retirement in 1991 he taught dogmatic theology
at the same faculty.
In 1968 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Maribor
by Pope Paul VI
. He became known as the "red bishop" for his strong socialist leanings. In 1980, he was removed from office by Pope John Paul II
, although he nominally maintained the title of bishop and continued to teach at the Theological Faculty in Ljubljana.
Grmič was a strong supporter of the Liberation Theology
and of the political-religious thought of the Swiss reformist theologian Hans Küng
. Together with the fellow Slovene Roman Catholic theologian Janez Janžekovič, he became one of the supporters of a closer collaboration between Roman Catholics and Marxist in Yugoslavia
. During his lifetime, Grmič published more than 40 books and several translation from German
.
In the last decade of his life, he often voiced his opinion in public, thus becoming a somewhat controversial figure. He often held very different views from other members of the local Roman Catholc hierarchy on several issues of social and political matters.
He died in Maribor
at the age of 82.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n Roman Catholic bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and theologian, known for his sympathy towards Socialist ideas.
Biography
He was born in the Lower StyriaLower Styria
Lower Styria or Slovenian Styria is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria. The population of Lower Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia...
n village of Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici in what was then the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He studied at a Roman Catholic priest seminary in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
. Already as a young man, he became influenced by the social thought of Janez Evangelist Krek
Janez Evangelist Krek
Janez Evangelist Krek was a Slovene Christian Socialist politician, priest, journalist and author.He was born in a peasant family in the village of Sveti Gregor , in what was then the Austrian Empire. His father died when he was a child...
, Edvard Kocbek
Edvard Kocbek
Edvard Kocbek was a Slovenian poet, writer, essayist, translator, political activist, and resistance fighter. He is considered as one of the best authors who have written in Slovene, and one of the best Slovene poets after Prešeren...
and the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
philosopher Romano Guardini
Romano Guardini
Romano Guardini was a Catholic priest, author, and academic. He was one of the most important figures in Catholic intellectual life in 20th-century.- Life and work:...
. After the invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
and the Nazi occupation of northern Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
in April 1941, Grmič started collaborating with the Communist-led Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
Liberation Front of the Slovenian People
On 26 April 1941 in Ljubljana the Anti-Imperialist Front was established. It was to promote "an international massive movement" to "liberate the Slovenian nation" whose "hope and example was the Soviet Union"...
.
In 1950, he was ordained priest and between 1952 and 1958 he worked as a parish priest of Vransko
Vransko
Vransko is a small town and municipality in central Slovenia. It lies on the western edge of the Savinja Valley. This area is part of the traditional region of Lower Styria. The municipality is now part of the Savinja statistical region....
. In 1961 he graduated from the Theological Faculty in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
with a thesis on the theological elements in the existentialist concept of angst
Angst
Angst is an English, German, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch word for fear or anxiety . It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of apprehension, anxiety or inner turmoil...
. From 1962 until his retirement in 1991 he taught dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology is that part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and his works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Dutch Reformed Church, etc...
at the same faculty.
In 1968 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Maribor
Lavant
Lavant was a prince-bishopric, suffragan of the Prince-archbishop of Salzburg, then in the southern part of imperial Austria's Styria. Later the area was re-assigned to presentday Slovenia. It became the Slovenian bishopric of Maribor, a suffragan of the Archbishop of Ljubljana, on 5 March 1962...
by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. He became known as the "red bishop" for his strong socialist leanings. In 1980, he was removed from office by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, although he nominally maintained the title of bishop and continued to teach at the Theological Faculty in Ljubljana.
Grmič was a strong supporter of the Liberation Theology
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
and of the political-religious thought of the Swiss reformist theologian Hans Küng
Hans Küng
Hans Küng is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he has been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic . Küng is "a Catholic priest in good standing", but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology...
. Together with the fellow Slovene Roman Catholic theologian Janez Janžekovič, he became one of the supporters of a closer collaboration between Roman Catholics and Marxist in Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. During his lifetime, Grmič published more than 40 books and several translation from German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
In the last decade of his life, he often voiced his opinion in public, thus becoming a somewhat controversial figure. He often held very different views from other members of the local Roman Catholc hierarchy on several issues of social and political matters.
He died in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
at the age of 82.
Main Works
- O Bogu (On God, Ljubljana, 1966)
- Vprašanja našega časa v luči teologije: sodobna evangelizacija (The Issues of Our Time in the Light of Theology: Modern Evangelization. Tinje/Tainach, Carinthia], 1978)
- Med vero in nevero (Between Faith and Infidelity, CeljeCeljeCelje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
, 1969) - Resnica iz ljubezni (Truth from Love, Ljubljana, 1979)
- Teologija v službi človeka (Theology in the Service of Man, Tinje/Tainach, 1975)
- Življenje iz upanja (Life from Hope, Ljubljana, 1981)
- Humanizem problem našega časa (Humanism and the Problem of Our Time, TriesteTriesteTrieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, 1983) - V duhu dialoga: za človeka gre (In the Spirit of Dialogue: It's about Man, Ljubljana, 1986)
- Kocbekova odločitev za OF in (njegov) krščanski etos (KocbekEdvard KocbekEdvard Kocbek was a Slovenian poet, writer, essayist, translator, political activist, and resistance fighter. He is considered as one of the best authors who have written in Slovene, and one of the best Slovene poets after Prešeren...
's Decision for the Liberation FrontLiberation Front of the Slovenian PeopleOn 26 April 1941 in Ljubljana the Anti-Imperialist Front was established. It was to promote "an international massive movement" to "liberate the Slovenian nation" whose "hope and example was the Soviet Union"...
and (His) Christian Ethos, Ljubljana, 1994) - Ušeničnikovo razumevanje umetnosti in literature (UšeničnikAleš UšenicnikAleš Ušeničnik was a Slovene Roman Catholic priest, philosopher, sociologist and theologian. He was one of the main philosophers of neo-Thomism in Slovenia and in Yugoslavia....
's Conception of Art and Literature, Ljubljana, 1994) - Izzivi in odgovori (Challenges and Answers, Ljubljana, 2000)
- Poslednji spisi: misli o sodobnosti (Last Writings: Thoughts on Modernity, Ljubljana, 2005)