Ivan Grubišić facts for kids
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Ivan Grubišić
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| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 22 December 2011 – 28 December 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | Zoran Milanović |
| Constituency | X electoral district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 June 1936 Dicmo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| Died | 19 March 2017 (aged 80) Split, Croatia |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | University of Zagreb University of Zadar |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Priest, sociologist |
| Awards |
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| Worldview | Liberal |
Ivan Grubišić (born June 20, 1936 – died March 19, 2017) was a Croatian Roman Catholic priest, a sociologist, and a politician. He was a member of the Croatian Parliament from 2011 to 2015.
Early Life and Education
Ivan Grubišić was born in Dicmo, a small town in Croatia. He grew up in a family that was not wealthy and had seven brothers and sisters. His father and one brother were killed during a war. His mother worked as a seamstress, making clothes.
After finishing elementary school, Ivan went to a Catholic high school in Split. He graduated in 1956. While in high school, he enjoyed playing the organ.
He later studied theology at the University of Zagreb and earned a degree in 1962. He also studied sociology and philosophy at the University of Zadar, getting another degree in 1982. In 1995, he earned his Ph.D. from the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. His Ph.D. research looked at how Catholics in a region called Dalmatia practiced their faith.
His Work as a Teacher and Scholar
Ivan Grubišić taught at several universities and institutes. Even after he officially retired in 2013, he continued to teach philosophy part-time at the Maritime Faculty of the University of Split.
He was a key person in starting the Hrvatska akademske udruga – Čovjek nadasve, which means "Croatian Academic Association - Man Above All." This group focused on humanist ideas, meaning they believed in the importance of human values and dignity.
Grubišić also started and led public talks on topics like "Contemporary Society and Spirituality" and "Science and Society." He wrote 12 books and helped publish four books from conferences. He also started and managed a journal called Dijalog (Dialogue). He founded another group called Savez za građansku i etičku Hrvatsku (Alliance for Civic and Ethical Croatia).
He received several awards for his work, including the "National Award for the Promotion and Popularization of Science." In 2007, the President of Croatia gave him the Order of Danica Hrvatska for his important contributions to culture.
His Time in Politics
Even though leaders of the Catholic Church advised him not to get involved in politics, Ivan Grubišić decided to run for office. In the 2011 Croatian parliamentary election, he led his own independent group of candidates. He won a lot of votes and his group earned two seats in the Sabor.
In January 2012, the Archbishop, a high-ranking Church leader, temporarily stopped Grubišić from performing his duties as a priest. This happened because Grubišić had started a political party and accepted his role in Parliament. This meant he could not hear confessions, preach, or celebrate Holy Mass. He also was not allowed to wear his priestly clothes. Grubišić tried to appeal this decision, but it was not changed.
Grubišić believed that the agreements between Croatia and the Holy See (the Vatican) should be changed or even ended. He thought that the Catholic Church should receive less money from the government budget each year. Instead, he felt that religious groups should be funded by their own members, similar to how it works in Germany. He also spoke out against Church leaders spending too much money.
He also thought that religious education should not be taught in public schools. He believed it should only be taught in churches.
During the campaign for a referendum in 2013 about defining marriage, Grubišić said that the referendum was not needed. He felt that the definition of marriage was already clear in family law. He also believed the referendum created division among people.
In the 2013 Croatian local elections, Grubišić ran to be the county prefect for Split-Dalmatia, coming in second place. However, he was elected to the Split City Council and served there until he resigned and left politics in 2016.
In an interview in 2014, Grubišić said that the government at the time was not very effective. He also commented on his friend, President Ivo Josipović, saying that while the President was popular, he wasn't making enough changes. Grubišić also spoke against nationalism when it led to hatred. He said that hate speech is not part of a civilized society, especially a human and Christian one. In 2016, when he retired from politics, the Archbishop allowed him to resume his duties as a priest.
Death
Ivan Grubišić passed away on March 19, 2017, in Split, at the age of 80, after dealing with health issues. He spent his last years living in a retirement home for priests in Split. He was buried in his hometown of Dicmo.
