Bishop Peter Štumpf is the Bishop of Koper
Pope Francis has appointed the current Bishop of Murska Sobota, Dr. Peter Štumpf, as the new Bishop of Koper (Press Office of the Holy See, 29. 11. 2024). After Dr. Janez Jenko, Msgr. Metod Pirih and Dr. Jurij Bizjak, Bishop Peter became the fourth Ordinary of the renewed and enlarged ancient Diocese of Koper, which this year celebrated the 1500th anniversary of the arrival of St. Nazarius in Koper in June. Bishop Peter is the 62nd successor of St. Nazarius.
The enthronement in the Koper Cathedral will take place on 1 Feb. 2025.
On Sunday, 2 Feb., he will offer Holy Mass in the Nova Gorica co-cathedral.
Bishop Peter was born on 28 Jun. 1962. He is originally from the Beltinci parish. He attended high school in Želimlje and graduated from the Poljane Gymnasium in Ljubljana in 1983. In Želimlje, he made his first religious vows in the Salesian Order on 9 August 1980. In 1984, he enrolled at the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana. After two years, he continued his studies of theology in Turin and graduated in 1989. On 29 June 1990, the Bishop of Maribor, Franc Kramberger, ordained him as a priest. He was a chaplain in Rakovnik and Sevnica; parish priest in Igo, parish administrator in Zabukovje – Sevnica, parish priest of the parish of St. John Bosco in Maribor, in Veržej and in the parish of Rakovnik, when he was also the dean of the Ljubljana-Vič/Rakovnik deanery.
In 2002, he received his doctorate from the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana with a dissertation on Jožef Klekl.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Maribor on 24 May 2006. He received his episcopal consecration in Maribor Cathedral on 10 Sept. 2006. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the new Ordinary Bishop of Murska Sobota on 28 Nov. 2009.
So far, he has been particularly dedicated to the pastoral care of families, students, married groups, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue… He participates in Slovenian church media….
Lord, strengthen us all in faith, hope and love, especially our Bishop Peter and Bishop Emeritus Jurij!
