Marko Perić ( cnr, Марко Перић; 14 October 1926 – 5 June 1983) was a Montenegrin prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who served as the

bishop of Kotor The Diocese of Kotor ( cnr, Которска бискупија, Kotorska biskupija; hr, Kotorska biskupija; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Bay of Kotor and Municipality of Budva area in ...

from 1981 until 1983. A native of

Mostar Mostar (, ; sr-Cyrl, Мостар, ) is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is sit ...

, Perić was ordained a priest in 1952. After holding several priestly duties, he was appointed a secretary of bishop

Petar Čule Petar Čule (18 February 1898 – 29 July 1985) was a prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Mostar-Duvno and of apostolic administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan from 1942 until his retirement in 1980. After his retirement, he was ...

of Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkan. At the same time, he served both as general vicar and general provicar. Čule's successor Pavao Žanić also named him general vicar in 1980, a post he retained until his appointment as the bishop of Kotor in 1981.

Biography

Perić was born in

Donji Jasenjani Donji Jasenjani is a village in the City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2 ...

near

in the parish of Bijelo Polje, at the time part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, to a family with nine children – four brothers and five sisters. He attended the elementary school of the Franciscan sisters in Bijelo Polje near Mostar from 1934 to 1938. Afterward, in 1938, he enrolled at the gymnasium in Travnik, where he studied until 7th grade which he finished in 1945. He continued his last high school grade only in 1947 in Šalata,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Sl ...

, where he graduated in 1948. In 1949, Perić entered the

Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb Catholic Faculty of Theology is a faculty of the University of Zagreb specialised for philosophical-theological study that was established in 1669. History The Catholic Faculty of Theology has its roots in philosophical-theological studies s ...

, and graduated in 1953. There, he also earned his master's degree in 1954 and Ph.D. in 1966. Perić was ordained a priest of the

Diocese of Mostar-Duvno The Diocese of Mostar-Duvno ( la, Dioecesis Mandentriensis-Dulminiensis) is a particular church of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It encompasses northern Herzegovina. The episcopal seat is in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I ...

on 29 June 1952 in Zagreb. At first, he served as a spiritual assistant in Bijelo Polje and Drežnica until 1953. Then, in 1954, he was appointed a chaplain in

Rašeljke Rašeljke is a village in the municipality of Tomislavgrad in Canton 10, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovin ...

near Duvno. Afterward, he served as a parson in Vinica near Ljubuški from 1954 to 1956 and in

Šipovača Šipovača ( sr, Шиповача) is a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 1991 census, the village is located in the municipality of Ljubuški. Demographics According to the 2013 census, its population was 643, all Croats. ...

, also near Ljubuški, from 1956 to 1957. He was appointed a secretary of bishop

, a post he held from 1958 to 1980. At the same time, from 1970 to 1971, Perić was a general vicar of the dioceses of Mostar-Duvno and Trebinje-Mrkan. Afterward, he was general provicar with the powers of general vicar from 1971 to 1980. In 1972,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

granted him the title of monsignor. After Čule's retirement, Perić was appointed general vicar of his successor Pavao Žanić, and served as such from 1980 to 1981. On 29 April 1981, Perić was appointed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

to become the first

after the vacancy of over 30 years. His episcopal consecration took place in Kotor Cathedral on 26 July 1981. Perić died in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on 5 June 1983.

Works

Perić's capital work is ''Hercegovačka afera'' (Herzegovina Affair), complied between 1965 and 1977, and published posthumously in 2002. His book deals with Herzegovina Affair, a historical dispute between the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina and the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno. He also published numerous other works.

Footnotes

References

Books

News articles

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Peric, Marko 1926 births 1983 deaths People from Mostar Croats of Montenegro University of Zagreb alumni Yugoslav historians 20th-century Croatian historians Historians of the Catholic Church Croat Roman Catholic clergy from Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholic bishops of Kotor Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Roman Catholic bishops in Yugoslavia