Radoslav Glavaš (junior)

Radoslav Glavaš (29 October 1909 – June 1945) was a Herzegovinian Franciscan who headed the Department of Religion of the Ministry of Justice and Religion of the fascist Independent State of Croatia during World War II.

Glavaš finished elementary school in Drinovci in 1921.

Afterwards, Glavaš attended the Franciscan gymnasium in Široki Brijeg as an "internal" student, that is, to become a priest and a friar.

After finishing the sixth grade in 1927, Glavaš paused his education and entered a one-year novitiate at the Franciscan friary in Humac, Ljubuški on 29 June 1927.

He changed his name to Radoslav and was ordained a friar by Lujo Bubalo.

A native of Drinovci near Grude in Herzegovina, Glavaš became a member of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina in 1928.

After finishing his studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, he taught the Croatian language and literature at the Franciscan gymnasium in Široki Brijeg.

Glavaš took his monastic vows in front of Provincial Dominik Mandić on 1 July 1928 and solemn vows on 3 July 1931, also in front of Mandić.

He returned to the gymnasium to finish the remaining two grades and graduated on 24 July 1930.

After finishing high school, Glavaš enrolled at the Franciscan seminary in Mostar in 1930, where he studied until 1932.

He continued his education in Lille, France.

As he was not yet 24 years old, Glavaš asked Mandić to obtain permission for his premature priestly ordination.

Mandić asked the Pope for permission for Glavaš to be ordained on 19 May 1933, which the Pope granted.

Glavaš was ordained a priest in Fontenoy, and Mandić was notified about the ordination on 17 July 1933.

Glavaš remained in Lille another year and asked to return to Herzegovina, which Provincial Mate Čuturić granted on 1 July 1934.

After returning to Herzegovina, Glavaš was a chaplain in Široki Brijeg from 1934 to 1935.

He was then sent to study Croatian at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, after which he was supposed to return to the Franciscan gymnasium in Široki Brijeg to teach Croatian.

As Herzegovinian Franciscans didn't own any accommodation in Zagreb, they lived in the monasteries of other Franciscan Provinces.

Thus, Glavaš lived in the friary of the Croatian Franciscan Province of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Kaptol, Zagreb.

Glavaš encountered several problems while living there, as he saw these Franciscans' statutory provisions and living style as redundant and unnecessary and refused to wear the friar's clothes.

The next year, the guardian of the Franciscan friary in Kaptol informed Čuturić that they could not accommodate Glavaš anymore.

Čuturić took up for Glavaš and asked the Zagreb Provincial Mihael Troha and the guardian of the friary to at least probe Glavaš until Christmas.

His petition was accepted in October 1935, and Glavaš continued to live in Kaptol.

However, Troha again complained about Glavaš to Čuturić in 1938, informing him that Glavaš leaves the friary at whim and often returns after midnight.

Čuturić requested that Glavaš return to Mostar.

Glavaš left Zagreb for Mostar in December 1938.

In the meantime, the two Provincials agreed that Glavaš would continue his studies at the friary near Zagreb in Jaska.

Glavaš finished all his exams on 27 June 1939 and remained in Jaska until July.

During his studies, Glavaš became a prominent nationalist and anti-communist amongst the students, and while studying, met Mile Budak, a prominent Ustaše and later a member of the World War II fascist Government of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH).

Known as a nationalist, he supported the puppet Independent State of Croatia (NDH), established by Nazi Germany and Italy in 1941.

He became head of the Department of Religion at the Ministry of Justice and Religion of the NDH immediately after the establishment of the puppet state in May 1941 and held that post until the dissolution of the NDH in May 1945.

As an official at the Ministry of Justice and Religion, Glavaš was charged with setting up the procedures and regulations for mass conversion of the Serb Eastern Orthodox population to Catholicism, even though the Catholic Church's hierarchy opposed such a programme.

He used his position to favour the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, enabling the state sponsorship of its schools and state-controlled collection of financial revenues for the Franciscans.

Despite the opposition from the Catholic Church, he enabled the establishment of the Franciscan Faculty of Theology in Sarajevo by the fascist government.

Glavaš also used his position to oppose the appointment of Petar Čule, a secular priest, as a bishop of Mostar-Duvno, a position previously held by the Franciscans.

For this reason, he was excommunicated by the papal delegate Ramiro Marcone in 1942.

Glavaš was executed by the Yugoslav Partisans for collaborating with the fascist regime in June 1945.

Glavaš was born in Drinovci near Grude in the region of Herzegovina, at the time part of Austria-Hungary, to father Petar and mother Mara née Marinović.

He was christened as Andrija by a parish priest in Drinovci Friar Vjenceslav Bašić.

His baptismal godfather was Ivan Glavaš.