New Ljubljana Archbishop Fully Invested
Alojz Uran has officially taken over as the new Ljubljana archbishop and Slovenian metropolitan. Uran was invested by Apostolic Nuncio Santos Abril y Castello at a solemn mass at the Ljubljana Cathedral on Sunday.
Uran said the office he was accepting was a gift and a great responsibility. "I trust in God's power and wisdom, and the motherly care of St. Mary, as well as in the support of many good people in their prayers and in the committed cooperation of my faithful colleagues," Uran said in his address.
Apart from church dignitaries from Slovenia and abroad, the ceremony was attended by representatives of other churches and political representatives, among them Prime Minister Janez Jansa.
The 59-year old Alojz Uran was appointed the sixth Ljubljana archbishop and Slovenian metropolitan by the Pope on 25 October. Uran has replaced Franc Rode, who left for a top office in the Vatican in April.
The first archbishop of Ljubljana was Count Ziga of Lamberg (1463-1488), while the first metropolitan in the Ljubljana archdiocese was Baron Mihael Brigido (1788-1806).
Uran was born on 22 January 1945 in a village on the outskirts of Ljubljana. After finishing theology in Ljubljana, he was ordained priest in June 1970, and conferred the title of bishop in January 1993. At the time, he chose the slogan "Yes, Father" as his bishop's motto.
Uran's first job was a curate at a Ljubljana Cathedral parish, where he stayed until 1973, when he continued his studies in Rome. Upon earning a master's degree in catechesis in 1977, he returned to Ljubljana and assumed the office of headmaster of a small seminary.
He has held a number of top offices ever since 1980, including deputy dean and dean in the Ljubljana archdiocese. He was bestowed the title of Ljubljana auxiliary bishop by the Pope in December 1992.
Apart from teaching at the Ljubljana Faculty of Theology, he was in charge of church professions at the Slovenian Bishops' Conference. In 1996, he helped prepare and co-ordinate Pope John Paul II's first visit to Slovenia, and has been the Conference's delegate for spreading faith among the Slovenians abroad.
The appointment of bishops is under jurisdiction of the Holy See, with the procedure being set down in the canon law.
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