[1] He studied in Rome before being recalled to his native Istria where he was ordained in 1943 during World War II prior to two parish postings where he became a vocal critic of Communism.

[2] He was beatified in Croatia on 28 September 2013 on the recognition of the fact that he was killed "in odium fidei" ("in hatred of the faith"); Cardinal Angelo Amato presided over the beatification on the behalf of Pope Francis.

From 1939 to 1940 he lived at the French Academy in Rome but spent the remainder of that time residing in the Pontifical Lombard Seminary.

On 31 October 1942, he was present in St. Peter's Basilica when Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

[2] The regime even approached his family members to have them convince him to return to Italy, but he refused and said to them: "There is a bigger need for priests right here."

In 1946, he was made the vice-principal and a teacher of seminarians at Pazin and, at the start of March 1947, returned a large cross to its original place in the atrium after unknown hooligans removed it.

But around 11 AM, several Communist supporters burst into the house and stabbed him to death multiple times in the neck after having been pinned to the ground.

They forbid members of the Yugoslav People's Army and participants in the Youth work actions from being confirmation sponsors, contrary to the Cannon Law.

According to Bakarić, they did this deliberately in order to ignite incidents, which they succeeded in when angry mass protested their decision and attacked them.

There was an effort to commence the cause in 1956 but the Communists banned this and so an informative process had opened in Rome in 1957 before the cause was transferred to the forum of Poreč-Pula on 28 March 2000 while the diocesan investigation took place.