The Bishop of Krk, dr. Karmelo Zazinović and the Establishment of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Rijeka

Krčki biskup dr. Karmelo Zazinović (1914.-1997.) bio je neposredni akter, i kao budući sufraganski biskup, živo zainteresiran za uspostavu nove crkvene pokrajine na sjeverozapadu Hrvatske, tj. Riječke metropolije. Pored neposrednog rada i odlučivanja na sastancima BKJ, u studenome 1968. podastro je Svetoj Stolici jednu, do sada nepoznatu, Pro-memoriju kojom živo zagovara uspostavu nove crkvene pokrajine – Riječke metropolije i što hitnije imenovanje rezidencijalnog biskupa u tom drugom po važnosti tadašnjem gradu u Republici Hrvatskoj i ujedno najvećoj trgovačkoj luci u tadašnjoj Jugoslaviji. Sve je to tražilo ne samo novonastalo međudržavno stanje nakon Drugog svjetskog rata, već su u pitanju bili primarno pastoralni razlozi, jer je Rijeka već tada sa Interdijecezanskom teološkom školom i pokrajinskim crkvenim sudom već bila de facto crkveno središte sjeverozapadne Hrvatske.The bishop of Krk, dr. Karmelo Zazinović (1914-1997) as a future suffragan bishop, was directly involved, and vividly interested in the establishment of a new ecclesiastical region in the north-west of Croatia, i.e. the metropolitan archdiocese of Rijeka. Beside the direct work and decision taking during the meetings of the Episcopal Conference of Yugoslavia, he also presented to the Holy See (in the november of 1968) one, unknown up to this moment, pro-memoria by which he intensely advocates the establishment of a new region, the metropolitan archdiocese of Rijeka, supporting an urgent nomination of a resident bishop in this city, which was second to Zagreb in importance, beside being the most important seaport in the former state. This was demanded by the urgent pastoral reasons as well as by newly formed international circumstances after the 2nd world war. By that time Rijeka was already the church centre of the north-west Croatia, with its inter-diocesan theological school and the regional ecclesiastical court