"You can't give the Church 380 million kuna, or a billion kuna annually if all the other church communities are taken into account, while poverty-stricken people are going through garbage cans," Grubisic said at a news conference in Split on Monday, adding that the Church should "be preaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the Gospel rather than currying favour with political elites."

Grubisic said that he would appeal against Barisic's decision with the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, saying that Barisic had accused him falsely of founding a political party, the Civic Initiative.

He recalled that the independent list with which he entered the parliament in the recent election was not a political party but a project of the Alliance for a Civic and Ethical Croatia, launched by the Croatian Academic Association (HAU).

Grubisic said the Alliance wanted to participate in the legislative authorities in order to contribute to the adoption of laws serving the common good.

"I am a people's representative in Parliament and I can't be attacked and accused this way."

Grubisic said that his decision to run for Parliament through the said civic initiative had alarmed the church hierarchy and that a decision had been made last summer by church representatives to "settle scores" with him.

He recalled the earlier political engagement of Catholic priests Tomislav Duka and Adalbert Rebic, wondering why his political engagement was considered controversial by the Church.