Ivan Grubišić

Early life and education

Ivan Grubišić was born in Dicmo in a poor family. He has seven brothers and sisters. His father Jure and brother were killed by the Yugoslav Partisans. His mother worked as a seamstress. After finishing elementary school, Grubišić graduated high school in 1956 at the Episcopal Classical Gymnasium in Split. During his time in high school he played the organ. Grubišić received a degree in Theology in 1962 at the Catholic Theological Faculty in Zagreb, and also a degree in sociology and philosophy at the University of Zadar in 1982. He received his Ph.D. in 1995 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, with the thesis titled Religious behavior of Catholics in Dalmatia in the mid-80s and evaluation of behavior.

Academia

Grubišić taught at the Catechetical Institute at the Catholic Theological Faculty in Zagreb, the Theological-Catechetical Institute in Split and the Croatian Studies college. Although retired, as of 2013 he still teaches at the Maritime Faculty of Philosophy in Split.

Grubišić is the initiator and one of the founders of Hrvatska akademske udruga – Čovjek nadasve (Croatian academic association - Man Above All). He is also the founder and the leader of the public lecture series Suvremeno društvo i duhovnost (Contemporary Society and Spirituality) and Znanost i društvo (Science and Society). He authored 12 books and edited four conference proceedings. He is the founder and managing editor of the journal Dijalog (Dialogue). In addition, Grubišić is author of the project Savez za građansku i etičku Hrvatsku (Alliance for Civic and ethical Croatia).

He was awarded the National Award for the Promotion and Popularization of Science, Annual Award of the City of Split, Award "Velimir Terzić" for the promotion of democracy in Croatia, as well as the Slobodna Dalmacija Award for Lifetime Achievement. President Stipe Mesić awarded him the Order of Danica Hrvatska, for special merits in culture, in 2007.

Politics

From the very start of his political involvement, the leadership of the Catholic Church warned him against candidacy in parliamentary elections, and against any form of active engagement in politics. Despite this, Grubišić led an independent list in the 2011 parliamentary election in the 10th electoral district, eventually winning 29.000 votes (11.7%), or two seats in Sabor.

In January 2012, the Archbishop of Split-Makarska Marin Barišić suspended Grubišić because of his founding of a political party, and the acceptance of the parliamentary term. His suspension covered exercise of confession, preaching and celebrating the Holy Mass, as well as the ban on wearing the priestly garments. Grubišić appealed to the Congregation for the Clergy, but his appeal has been rejected.

Grubišić actively advocates revision, even termination, of the treaties signed between Croatia and the Holy See, which would, among other things, reduce the amount of taxpayer money annually given from the Croatian state budget to the Catholic Church. On several occasions Grubišić criticized church leadership because of its profligacy.

Grubišić also opposes the teaching of religious education in public schools stating that it should only be taught in churches, but in the same time supports the introduction of subject called "Religious culture" in the elementary schools on which students would study about all religions, as well as subject "Sociology of Religion" in high schools.

During the campaign for the 2013 referendum on prohibiting same-sex marriage, Grubišić stated that "referendum was unnecessary because definition of a marriage as a union between a man and a woman already stands in the family law", as well as that referendum created a form of talibanism, or "exclusion of others and different which is in contrast with the Christs teaching".

Grubišić ran on 2013 local elections as a candidate for the Split-Dalmatia county prefect, and eventually came in second.