Appointment of bishop of Celje, Slovenia

The Holy Father has appointed as bishop of Celje, Slovenia, the Reverend Maksimilijan Matjaž, of the clergy of the metropolitan archdiocese of Maribor, until now professor of sacred scripture at the Faculty of Theology of Ljubljana.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Maksimilijan Matjaž was born on 23 August 1963 in Črna. After attending elementary school in Mežica, he attended secondary school specialising in economics in Slovenj Gradec. He carried out his philosophical and theological studies at the Faculty of Theology of Ljubljana from 1983 to 1988.

He was ordained a priest on 29 June 1989 and was incardinated in the metropolitan archdiocese of Maribor.

From 1989 to 1991 he served as deputy parish priest of Zreče. From 1991 to 1995 he studied sacred scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, obtaining a licentiate in biblical sciences. He continued his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he was awarded a doctorate in Biblical theology in 1998. In 2000 he studied biblical archaeology at the Studium Blblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem. From 1998 was assistant in the Faculty of Theology of Ljubljana, from 2001 assistant professor in the Department of Biblical and Jewish Studies, and from 2011, visiting professor of biblical and Jewish studies.

Since 2006 he has served as a member of the presbyteral council of the metropolitan archdiocese of Maribor and since 2011, member of the college of consultors. He has been spiritual assistant in the parishes of Dravograd (1998-2010) and Zreče (2010-2012), at the pastoral unit of Slovenj Gradec (2012-2013) and in the parish of Šentilj (2013-2020).