Novi list contacted all relevant institutions and bishops. The Croatian Bishops' Conference denies part of the allegations, the State Attorney's Office is conducting an investigation, and key figures remain silent or invoke the seal of confession.
The case of I. Ž., a priest of the Požega Diocese accused of years of sexual abuse of minors, reveals deep failures in the response of church authorities. Although key church officials were aware of the allegations years earlier, the priest was only removed from his pastoral duties about ten days ago, after the story became public on July 23 of this year.
According to the portal dnevnik.hr, whose journalist Vanja Moskaljov first broke the story, the abuse began more than 25 years ago at the Interdiocesan Seminary on Šalata in Zagreb. The victim was 16 at the time. The abuse continued after the young man went on to study at the Theological Seminary in Đakovo, lasting a total of about ten years.
In 2012, the victim went to study in Vienna, where he confided in a fellow student. That colleague wrote about everything to the then Bishop of Požega, Antun Škvorčević. According to media reports, a church investigation was conducted, but nothing was done. The victim also told his story to the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who is known for his strong advocacy for investigations into abuse in the Church.
According to media reports, Cardinal Schönborn informed the Croatian bishops about the case as early as 2018. The Cardinal's spokesperson, Georg Schimmerl, confirmed to Novi list that the Cardinal would not give an interview but emphasized that he believes the Croatian Bishops' Conference and the Holy See will approach the case carefully and in accordance with Pope Francis's apostolic letter "Vos estis lux mundi."
"I hope you will understand that Cardinal Schönborn will not give an interview on this matter. However, he wishes to emphasize that he believes the Croatian Bishops' Conference and the Holy See will approach this case carefully and in accordance with Pope Francis's apostolic letter 'Vos estis lux mundi.' The undisputed priority must be the protection of victims," Schimmerl said.
The Vatican conducted its own investigation into this case from 2024 to 2025. The results of the investigation and instructions on further action were sent to the Croatian Bishops' Conference in April of this year.
The Croatian Bishops' Conference responded to Novi list's inquiry, emphasizing that certain information presented in the media is inaccurate.
"First of all, the claim that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith established the priest's guilt and ordered his punishment is not true. The competent Dicastery ordered the conduct of a canonical criminal procedure. Furthermore, the information that Zagreb Archbishop Dražen Kutleša appointed officials for that procedure is also incorrect. Since this is a priest of the Požega Diocese, the Bishop of Požega, Ivo Martinović, is responsible for conducting the procedure," the CBC stated.
The CBC also explained that the canonical criminal procedure has been temporarily postponed at the explicit request of civil authorities, so as not to jeopardize the civil investigation. The head of the CBC Press Office, Zvonimir Ancić, emphasized that the priest was immediately relieved of all duties within the Conference's bodies and that all documentation was forwarded to state authorities.
"The Croatian Bishops' Conference remains consistent with the principle of zero tolerance for violence and fully cooperates with institutions until all facts are fully clarified," Ancić stated.
That judicial authorities are also handling the case was confirmed by the State Attorney's Office of the Republic of Croatia. "The Municipal Criminal State Attorney's Office in Zagreb, in the case to which the inquiry and its supplement refer, is taking measures and actions to establish all relevant facts necessary for a conclusion on the existence of reasonable suspicion that a criminal offense prosecuted ex officio has been committed," the DORH response states.
Bishop Fabijan Svalina of Srijem, who served as prefect-educator at the Interdiocesan Seminary on Šalata from September 1998 to the summer of 2004, stated that during his tenure no report of abuse was ever received. He confirmed that the accused priest I. Ž. was an assistant educator from autumn 1998 to May 1999, a period of only eight months.
Retired Archbishop of Zadar Želimir Puljić, who presided over the CBC from 2012 to 2022, stated that this case was not discussed at CBC sessions. "You are aware that the Church classifies the abuse of minors among crimes that do not prescribe. It is sad, ashamed, and repentant for every case within the Church's ranks," Puljić said, adding that "perversion knows and recognizes no boundaries."
Archbishop Đuro Hranić of the Đakovo-Osijek Archdiocese stated that he has no knowledge of any abuse at the Theological Seminary in Đakovo and that the accused priest never served at that institution.
Novi list sent an inquiry on July 29 to Bishop Ivo Martinović of Požega and retired Bishop Antun Škvorčević, but no response was received before the article's publication. The accused priest did not answer phone calls or messages. A former spiritual director at the Interdiocesan Seminary, whose details are known to the editorial board, responded briefly to the inquiry: "I have no knowledge of this, and a spiritual director is bound by the seal of confession."
Monsignor Juraj Batelja, who was rector of the seminary at the time of the abuse, also did not respond to the inquiry. Attempts to obtain information from the Apostolic Nunciature in Zagreb and the Dicastery for Bishops in the Vatican also went unanswered.
