The members of the Slovenian Bishops’ Conference are all the diocesan Bishops and auxiliary Bishops in Slovenia who jointly exercise some pastoral roles to better promote the good the Church offers to humanity.

Brief history of the Slovenian Bishops’ Conference

Up until the institution of the Slovenian Bishops’ Conference, on 19 February 1993, the Slovenian Prelates, along with other bishops of the then Yugoslavia, were part of the Yugoslavian Bishops’ Conference. As part of this, the Slovenian Regional Episcopal Conference had been established on 20 June 1983.

On 25 June 1992, the Slovenian Bishops drew up a draft of the Statutes of the independent Slovenian Bishops’ Conference and John Paul II (1978-2005), having received a positive opinion from the Congregation for Bishops and the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, in conformity with the norms and laws of Canon Law, approved the Statutes of the independent Slovenian Bishops’ Conference. On 20 February 1993, the Congregation for Bishops published the decreee of approval and institution of the Slovenian Bishops’ Conference.

On 7 April 2006, Pope Benedict XVI established three new dioceses in Slovenia (Celje, Murska Sabota, Novo mesto) and the then Diocese of Maribor was elevated to the rank of Archdiocese as a Metropolitan See. In May 2006 the new bishops were enthroned in their own sees.