Bishop Fabijan Svalina ( sr-Cyrl, Фабијан Свалина; born 7 November 1971) is a

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 is currently serving as a Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Srijem since 14 February 2024. Previously he served as a

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 the same Diocese since 7 October 2021 until 14 February 2024.

Education

Bishop Svalina was born into a Roman Catholic family of Mirko and Lucija () in

Đakovo Đakovo (; , , sr-Cyrl, Ђаково) is a town in the region of Slavonia, Croatia. Đakovo is the centre of the fertile and rich Đakovo region ( ). Etymology The etymology of the name is the (diákos) in Slavic form đak (pupil). The Hungar ...

, but he grew up and finished his primary school education in neighbouring Satnica Đakovačka. After graduation from the high school in his native town, he made the maturity exam and consequently joined the Major Theological Seminary in Đakovo and the Theological Faculty of the

University of Osijek The Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek (, ), commonly known as the University of Osijek (UNIOS), is a public university based in Osijek, Croatia. Established in 1975, it is the flagship institution of higher education in Slavonia, and ...

, where he graduated in 1997, 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 29 June 1977 for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

in the Cathedral basilica of St. Peter, after completed his philosophical and theological studies.

Pastoral and administrative work

After his ordination Fr. Svalina a short time served as an assistant priest in the Exaltation of Holy Cross parish in

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

- Retfala (1997–1998) and after was appointed as an educationist and prefect at the Interdiocesan Seminary in

Šalata Šalata () is a residential neighborhood in Zagreb, Croatia. It is administratively part of the Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district in the northern part of Zagreb and it has a population of 1,929. Šalata houses the Šalata Sport and Recre ...

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 ...

, where he served until 2004. From 2004 to 2010, he served in Đakovo as Secretary of the Episcopal Ordinariate,

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the Archdiocesan Ordinariate and Head of the Archdiocesan Press Office. He was a member of the Presbyteral council and a member of the Board of Advisors for several terms. From 2010 he was an acting director, and from 2012 – a Director of the Croatian Caritas International, position, that he held until his election as bishop in 2021. In the same time, from 2010 until 2017 he served as Deputy Secretary General of the

Episcopal Conference of Croatia The Croatian Bishops' Conference (; ) (HBK) is an episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in Croatia. The Conference was founded on May 15, 1993 after Croatia regained its independence after the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, which ...

, and from 2017 until 2021 was a director of the Croatian Catholic Network.

Prelate

On 7 October 2021, 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 a Coadjutor Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Srijem in the neighbouring Serbia. On 21 November 2021, he was consecrated as bishop by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher 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 athedral Basilica of St. Demetrius in

Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city in Serbia. It is situated on the left bank of the Sava, Sava river. , the city has a total population of 36,764 inhabitants, while its adminis ...

and become a member of the International Bishops' Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius. On 14 February 2024 he succeeded as the Diocesan bishop, after the resignation of his predecessor.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Svalina, Fabijan 1971 births Living people People from Đakovo University of Osijek alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Serbia Bishops appointed by Pope Francis