ZLOJUTRIĆ-SALINATE, Pietro. - Franciscan bishop and apostle of Catholicism in Bulgaria, born in Tuzla (Saline) in Bosnia in the 16th century, died in the odor of sanctity on 4 April 1624 in the monastery of Gradovrh (Bosnia). In 1595 Clement VIII sent him to Bulgaria as apostolic visitor at the head of several other Franciscan missionaries. On 10 December 1601 he was appointed bishop of Sofia.
ZLOJUTRIĆ-SALINATE was tasked with rekindling among the Bulgarians the burning flame of the Roman faith and reopening in those regions the series, from then on uninterrupted, of Catholic bishops. In 28 years of apostolic work he reorganized the few Catholics he found there, converted many thousands of Paulician heretics, and established numerous parishes; he called some of his confreres from Bosnia to assist him, for whom he had convents and residences built, from which later arose the independent Custody of Bulgaria (1624). He sent many young people from the most illustrious families of the country to study in Italy, some of whom continued his work.