Petar Čule

Čule was born in Kruševo, Mostar in a wealthy family of Juriša and Jaka née Šarac. He was the third child and had five brothers and three sisters. The same day he was born, Čule was christened.[1][2] His father Juriša was a respectable man in his village, who contributed to the establishment of a special parish for his village and to the construction of the parochial residence.[2]

A rarity at the time, Čule and his three brothers were sent for further education, while two other brothers remained at the estate. His sisters were married. Čule had a very religious upbringing.[1] Since his home village didn't have either an elementary school or a church, Čule went to Ljuti Dolac for education, where he met the local Franciscans, who served as his educators. They recognised a special potential in him, and wanted him to continue the education at the Franciscan friary in Široki Brijeg. However, his father, advised by his late cousin who served as a parish priest in Blagaj, was determined to send young Čule to the Jesuit gymnasium in Travnik.[3][2]

Jesuit gymnasium in Travnik

The former Jesuit gymnasium in Travnik, now the Catholic School Centre "Petar Barbarić"

As a child, Čule became sick of malaria and barely survived. He sent an application for the gymnasium in Travnik, while the Franciscan parish priest also applied him for the school in Široki Brijeg. He was then informed that his application in Travnik was lost and that he needs to send another one. Čule's application in Široki Brijeg was rejected due to his poor health. However, it turned out that his application in Travnik was accepted, but the notification was delayed due to poor postal connections. At first, Čule's performance in school was bad, as the village schools gave the poor background for further education. However, a month later, he became one of the best students.[4] In 1912, while in a third grade, Čule suffered inflammation of the hypochondrium. As Austria-Hungary prepared to enter the Balkan Wars in 1913, they occupied part of the seminary for war purposes, so the school sent some students home, including Čule. Since Austria-Hungary didn't enter the war in the end, the seminary was returned to the school so the students came back. However, Čule was still sick and asked for a prolonged leave, which was granted to him. In the summer of 1913, the school informed Čule that if he doesn't get well soon, he would lose the right to education. The doctor found Čule to be healthy but diagnosed him with anemia. He returned to Travnik and was obliged to take all the exams from the fourth grade in order to enroll in the fifth grade. During that time, Čule got tuberculous lungs with cavern, however, got well quickly. Čule also became devoted to the Madonna.[5]

During World War I, the part of the seminary was once again converted to a hospital, as Austria-Hungary entered the war. Even though it was accustomed to getting tonsure while in the seventh grade, Čule and his colleagues got it while in the sixth grade in 1915 and thus became clerics. The reason for premature tonsure was that the clerics were not obliged to serve in the military. Even though he was diagnosed with the nerve disease due to stress from excessive studying, Čule managed to finish the seventh grade as an excellent student. As the Jesuit gymnasium wasn't a public school its students had to take the graduation exam in front of the Sarajevo gymnasium. In the summer of 1917, Čule excelled his graduation exam, and the president of the commission offered him a state stipend for university studies. However, Čule was determined to become a priest.[6]

The same year he was appointed a prefect of the HKD Napredak's convict in Mostar. He remained active in the convict for seven years, actively working with the youth and their parents. In 1931, Čule was appointed a religious teacher at Stara gimnazija. During his time as a priest, Čule published two books – Misli velikih umova o Bogu i vjeri (Thoughts of Great Minds about God and Faith; 1925) and Misli velikih umova o Kristu i katoličkoj Crkvi (Thoughts of Great Minds about Christ and the Catholic Church; 1926). On the 400th anniversary of the Society of Jesus, Čule translated Thomas J. Campbell's two volume book The Jesuits, 1534-1921: A History Of The Society Of Jesus, From Its Foundation To The Present Time (Povijest Isusovačkog reda), which was published in 1941 and 1942 respectively. Čule was also the editor of Mali kršćanski nauk (The Little Christian Doctrine), which was republished several times. Čule also published articles in several magazines, and often held sermons in the local church and other parishes.[2]

The Franciscans, who by the papal Decisia of 1899 had lost the care over half of the parishes, but still made up the vast majority of the clergy, wanted to preserve the dominance of their Province. They managed to influence Mišić not to raise the secular clergy in order to remain in small numbers, and finally, in 1923 with the mediation from Mišić, they managed to get a rescript from the Holy See that, although temporarily, returned most of the parishes to their care. The Franciscans sought to ignore this temporality and cement the rescript as permanent.[12]

The joint efforts of Mišić and the Franciscans to change the Vatican's decision became known to the diocesan clergy only in 1937.[13] While working as the diocesan archivist, Čule found out about the rescript and its enactment, but was assured by Mišić's secretary friar Boris Ilovača that the rescript wasn't enacted, even though he himself logged both the rescript and Mišić's decision on enactment.[14] In 1935, Mišić gave Čule the care over the education of diocesan priests. Their number started to grow, with many Franciscans commenting that there would be not enough parishes for them. It was then, in 1937 in the parish of Drinovci, that the diocesan clergy became aware of the rescript and its enactment, which led to the panic in its ranks as the diocese was effectively almost dissolved. Their worries were brought before Ilovača, who assured them once again, falsely claiming that Mišić hasn't confirmed the rescript.[15] Mišić cared little about his own clergy, ordaining only 28 diocesan priests and later limiting the number of Herzegovinian candidates in 1939 at the Seminary in Travnik to only 33,[16][17] possibly under the influence of the Franciscans.[18]

Not long before his death, Bishop Mišić tried to get an appointment of his successor. At first, he wanted someone from the ranks of Bosnian Franciscans to replace him and then sought a Herzegovinian Franciscan as a successor. However, the Holy See remained silent to his proposals.[13][19] In 1937, the Franciscans requested him to appoint one of their own as bishop coadjutor.[20] On 28 June 1940, Mišić proposed the Propaganda to appoint him a bishop coadjutor, however, he received no response.[21] No appointment occurred before his death.[22]

Mišić suddenly died on 26 March 1942.[19] The memorial mass was held on 29 March in Mostar, led by Ivan Šarić, the archbishop of Vrhbosna.[23][24][19] After Mišić's death, on 29 March 1942, as dictated by the canon law, Čule was appointed as diocesan administrator by Archbishop Šarić. The Propaganda approved his appointment on 10 April 1942.[21] Even though the Franciscans hoped that Mišić's successor would be a Franciscan, and their hopes were strengthened by the promises of the leader of the NDH Ante Pavelić to their own Radoslav Glavaš that a Franciscan would succeed Mišić, on 15 April 1942, the Holy See appointed Čule as the new bishop.[25] Even before the death of Bishop Alojzije Mišić, Čule was a candidate for his succession, however, due to the tensions with the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, the Holy See waited for Mišić's death before his appointment in order to implement its plans for Herzegovina.[26] Dominik Mandić, a former Provincial of the Herzegovinian Franciscans, who was in Rome at the time, concluded that the Holy See refused to appoint a Franciscan as bishop because of the accusations from other Croatian Franciscans against the Herzegovinian Province and their behavior after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. These accusations included Franciscans dealing with worldly affairs, involvement with the violent events during the war, and disobedience to the Church authority.[27] Shortly after his appointment, Čule visited the Pope in Rome and stayed there from 30 May until 6 June 1943.[28]

Čule was appointed bishop at the same time when Janko Šimrak was appointed bishop of Križevci, which contrasted with the Vatican's policy of holing all appointments until after the war. Due to the delicate situation in these two dioceses, the Vatican had fool confidence in the two bishops and proceeded with their appointments notwithstanding the opposition from the Ustaše government.[29] The Ustaše government complained that Čule and Šimrak's appointment occurred without the consultation with them. On 3 June 1942, the Ministry of Justice and Religion sent a protest note to all parish priests in Herzegovina in which they demonstrated opposition to his appointment, noting that since Čule was appointed "without knowledge and hearing, even without knowledge of the Croatian State Government, the Croatian State Government cannot recognise such an appointment, and will take its stance accordingly in order to protect the state sovereignty pro foro civili". At the time, the Department of Religion at the said Ministry was headed by the Herzegovinian Franciscan Radoslav Glavaš, who participated in the making of the protest note.[30]

The Herzegovinian Franciscan Radoslav Glavaš, who headed the Department of Religion, participated in the making of the protest note against the Čule's appointment

At the time when Poglavnik Ante Pavelić was preparing to celebrate his name day on the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua on 13 June 1942, he was informed by the Pope's delegate Giuseppe Masucci, that if he would hold to this protest note, he would be automatically excommunicated in the accordance with the 2334 Code of Canon Law, and that this would obstruct the celebration of his name day. This persuaded Pavelić to give up any sanctions against Čule. However, the Herzegovinian Franciscans started to persuade Čule to denounce his appointment, but to no avail. The Archbishop of Zagreb Aloysius Stepinac and the Archbishop of Vrhbosna Šarić received threatening letters, in which they were informed that "if you [Stepinac and Šarić] dare to cross the border of the city of Mostar and Herzegovina for the purpose of the consecration of the new bishop, you [Stepinac and Šarić] should know that anything could happen. There will be blood and flesh, even if you carry the papal tiara. There will be blood and flesh." Marko Perić considers that the threatening letters originate from the Franciscans. [30]

Notwithstanding the threats, Čule's consecration took place on 4 October 1942 in the greatest order and peace. His principal consecrator was Šarić and was assisted by Stepinac and the papal delegate Giuseppe Marcone. Čule gave the money intended for the installment ceremony to the refugees from Eastern Herzegovina, who attended his consecration in large numbers.[30] After his consecration, the Grand Župan of Hum, an administrative unit of the NDH, Josip Troyer, warned him not to dare to touch the Franciscans.[31]

Čule, like his predecessor Mišić, with a number of other priests, including Leo Petrović, intervened to save the Serbs, Jews and the Yugoslav Partisans from the persecution of the Ustaše government.[32] In January 1945, the Ustaše arrested several Serb and Croat intellectuals and sent them to the Jasenovac concentration camp. Čule and Petrović protested on 20 January 1945 and asked for their release. As a result, all of the inmates were released, however, on their way home, they were executed by the Ustaše. Afterward, a rumor appeared that Čule would be the next one arrested.[33]

On 10 April 1944, on the third anniversary of the establishment of the NDH, the Ustaše government massively issued decorations to many dignitaries and officials, including the clergy. These decorations were given for propaganda reasons, and not for any real merits.[34] The motive for such massive decorations was an effort by the Ustaše government to try to win the support of the Catholic clergy.[35] Such decorations were given to Čule and many other Catholic prelates, including Stepinac, Šarić, Antun Akšamović, Mihovil Pušić, Kvirint Klement Bonefačić. Many of them didn't even know they were decorated. Čule himself was decorated with the Order of Merit - Grand Order with Star.[34]

Immediately after assuming the office of a bishop, Čule intended to build a new cathedral. The famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović offered himself to make a sketch of this new cathedral, however, the war disrupted Čule's plans. After sentencing Čule, the communist authorities expropriated the lot and material intended for the construction of a cathedral.[36]

At the end of the war, in May 1945, the communist partisans massacred 28 Catholic priests from the Široki Brijeg Franciscan Monastery near Macelj. Bishop informed the Conference of Bishops held in Zagreb between 17 and 21 September 1945 about the massacre. The bishops issued a pastoral letter, later characterised as one of the fiercest oppositions to atheism and communism. In the letter, the bishops mentioned the massacre of priests from Široki Brijeg.[37]

Because of his opposition to the communist regime, Bishop Čule was detained in April 1948.[37] He was tired before the Municipal Court of Mostar in a show trial held in a cinema. He was accused among a number of priests and nuns. Among other accusations, Bishop Čule was accused of hiding a "renegade" Neđo Markotić, who actually died a day before, and for attributing Katyn massacre to the Soviet Red Army. The sentence was made on 18 July 1948, and Bishop Čule was sentenced to 11 and half years in prison, losing his civil rights for three years. He did not appeal.[38] He served his sentence in Zenica. In April 1951, Bishop Čule and other prisoners were left to be struck by a freight train during transport of prisoners from Zenica to Srijemska Mitrovica. Bishop Čule survived with fractures.[37]

He was conditionally released in autumn 1955. As of early 1958, he again assumed administration of the two dioceses.[37]

Bishop Čule participated at the Second Vatican Council held between 1962 and 1965, and in certain special commissions. On a session held on 10 November 1962, Čule held a lengthy and pious speech about Saint Joseph and requested that he be included in the Roman Canon of the Mass. The majority of the bishops ignored his speech, however, Pope John XXIII was moved by the speech and included St. Joseph in the canon three days later.[39]

A notable communist politician and prime minister of Yugoslavia Džemal Bijedić later visited Bishop Čule in his residence. In a conversation with the Bishop, Bijedić said that the charge against him was a "directive and order". He acknowledges that the process against the Bishop was a show trial and unjust. For the NIN weekly on 22 November 1981, Bijedić stated that Bishop Petar Čule was not guilty.[38]

During his tenure, the number of priests in his dioceses tripled from thirty to ninety. He also increased the number of parishes in the dioceses and built and consecrated a number of churches. After thirty years of building, the Cathedral of Mary, Mother of the Church in Mostar was also finished in 1980. In the same year, on 14 September Bishop Čule retired and Pope John Paul II named him a titular archbishop of Giufi in present-day Tunisia. He died in Mostar and is buried in the Crypt of Saint Joseph in the Mostar cathedral.[37]