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 serves as a Titular Bishop of Ressiana and Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Ljubljana
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana (, ) is a Latin ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Slovenia.Preserje pri Radomljah
Preserje pri Radomljah () is a suburbanized settlement on the right bank of the Kamnik Bistrica River in the Municipality of Domžale in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.
Name
The name of the settlement was changed from ''Preserje'' to ''Pr ...
in the parish of Homec.
After finishing primary school, Franc graduated a Minor Seminary in Vipava with the secondary education during 1974–1978 and also served his compulsory military service in the Yugoslavian Army. After that, he was admitted to the Major Theological Seminary in
Ljubljana
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and in the same time joined the Theological Faculty at the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...
, where he studied two years, until he was sent to
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, ...
. Here he continued his seminary formation in the
Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum
The ''Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum'', or simply ''Collegium Germanicum'', is a German-speaking seminary for Catholic priests in Rome, founded in 1552. Since 1580 its full name has been ''Pontificium Collegium Germanicum et Hungaricum de Urb' ...
and completed his studies with a
Doctor of Theology
Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...
degree in
Fundamental theology
Fundamental theology, in John Hardon's ''Modern Catholic Dictionary'', is a "branch of theology which establishes the fact that God has made a supernatural revelation and established the Church, founded by Christ, as its divinely authorized custod ...
at the
Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
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 June 29, 1985, for his native Archdiocese of Ljubljana.
Pastoral work
After his ordination Fr. Šuštar was engaged in pastoral work and served as priest in Ljubljana-Moste and Ljubljana-Fužine parishes from 1985 until 1991.
From 1991 to 1997 he was the director of the Major Theological Seminary in
Ljubljana
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. He then became a parish priest in
Grosuplje
Grosuplje (; )''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 108. is a town in central Slovenia, in the northwest of the traditional region of Lower ...
, where he served from 1997 until 2005. For two years, Archbishop
Alojz Uran
Alojz Uran or Alojzij Uran (22 January 1945 – 11 April 2020) was a Slovenian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, from 4 December 2004 till 28 November 2009, when he resigned due ...
appointed him cathedral pastor in
Ljubljana
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and archdeacon. After two years, in 2007 he was re-appointed director of the Major Theological Seminary in Ljubljana and a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of the cathedral chapter. He also worked as an Econom at the Major Seminary.
Prelate
On February 7, 2015, 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 Titular Bishop of Ressiana and Auxiliary Bishop of the
Archdiocese of Ljubljana
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana (, ) is a Latin ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Slovenia.Stanislav Zore 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 ...
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
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.
Also from 2015 he is serving 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 ...