Bishop Metod Pirih (9 May 1936 – 23 March 2021Umrl je upokojeni koprski škof Metod Pirih
) was a Slovenian

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 served as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Koper from 16 April 1987 until his retirement on 26 May 2012. Before he was 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 In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

since 25 March 1985 until 16 April 1987.

Education

Bishop Pirih was born into a Roman Catholic family of Mirko and Štefanija (née Šuligoj) in the present day

City Municipality of Nova Gorica The Urban Municipality of Nova Gorica (; ) is a municipality in the traditional region of the Slovene Littoral in western Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is the city of Nova Gorica. Nova Gorica became a municipality in 1994. It borders Ita ...

, that in this time was governed by Italians and was baptized at the local church on the day of his birth. After finishing primary school, which he attended in his native

Lokovec Lokovec () is a dispersed settlement in western Slovenia in the City Municipality of Nova Gorica. It is located on the Banjšice Plateau overlooking the narrow Čepovan Valley, which divides it from the Trnovo Forest Plateau () on the other side ...

in 1948 and graduation from a classical gymnasium in

Pazin Pazin (, ) is a town in western Croatia, the administrative seat of Istria County. It is known for the medieval Pazin Castle, the former residence of the Istrian margraves. Geography The town had a population of 8,638 in 2011, of which 4,386 li ...

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 ...

in 1956, he was admitted to the Major Theological Seminary in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

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 from 1956 until 1963 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 26, 1963 in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

for the

Diocese of Trieste–Koper In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

(for its Slovenian part), after he completed his philosophical and theological studies. In the meantime, he also served his compulsory military service in the Yugoslavian Army.

Pastoral and educational work

After his ordination Fr. Pirih served a short time as a parish priest in

Solkan Solkan ( or ; , or ''Salcano'') is a settlement in the Municipality of Nova Gorica in the Gorizia region of western Slovenia, at the border with Italy. Although it forms a single urban area with the city of Nova Gorica today, it has maintained th ...

(1963–1964) and after that became a personal assistant to Bishop Janez Jenko from 1964 until 1974, when he continued his postgraduate studies at the

Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum The Teresianum, officially the Pontifical Theological Faculty and Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum (), is a pontifical faculty in Rome. It was established by the Discalced Carmelites for the study of scientific theology and anthro ...

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, ...

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 ...

with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in the camp of a spiritual theology in 1976. After returning to his homeland, he became a spiritual director at the Major Theological Seminary in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

(1976–1984), and in 1977 he again became Bishop Jenko's personal assistant. As an educator of future priests, he remained in Ljubljana until 1984, when Bishop Jenko appointed him a

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 ...

of the Diocese of Koper. Between 1984 and 1986, he was the head of the Pastoral Service in

Koper Koper (; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, fifth-largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Slovenian Istria, Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, Koper is the main urban center of the Slovene coast. Port of Koper i ...

and the parish administrator of the parish in Podgorje. In the meantime, he also was a lecturer at the

unit of the Faculty of Theology.

Prelate

On March 25, 1985, he was appointed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

as the

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Koper The Diocese of Koper (; ; Italian: ''Diocesi di Capodistria'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in southwestern Slovenia. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of Ljubljana. Its cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and is ...

. On May 27, 1985, he was consecrated as bishop by the Diocesan Bishop Janez Jenko 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 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in

. Two years later, on April 16, 1987 he succeeded his predecessor. Bishop Pirih retired on May 26, 2012 after reaching the age limit of 75 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pirih, Metod 1936 births 2021 deaths People from the Urban Municipality of Nova Gorica University of Ljubljana alumni Teresianum alumni Academic staff of the University of Ljubljana 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovenia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Slovenia 21st-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II