Chronicle Summaries of Events and Background Information Catholic Bishops Ban Controversial Body Roman Catholic bishops in Yugoslavia from '27 to 29 September 1982, the bishops have taken action, the first East European unanimously reiterated that priests may not hierarchy to do so, on the Vatican declara­ be members of professional priestly associa­ tion published in March 1982, which forbids tions and other bodies which are not in line priests to be members of politicised bodies. with Quidam Episcopi. They emphasised The declaration, issued by the Congrega­ that these, bodies include the Theological tion for the Clergy under the title Quidam Association Krs{;anska SadaSnjost (TDKS) Episcopi (Some Bishops), is aimed at two (Contemporary Christianity) in Zagreb. types of organisations: "trade-union type" The Djakovo meeting ofthe hierarchy also bodies that, according to the declaration, "unanimously and resolutely" rejected reduce the priestly vocation to the status of "grave political insinuations" by the asso­ a secular profession and the role of the ciation's leaders against "those who take a bishops to that of employers; and clerical critical stance towards TDKS". They ended associations which "directly or indirectly, by re-stating that "priestly activity, which overtly or covertly" serve political ends­ includes Catholic theology, must be under even when this is done "under the outward the bishops' jurisdiction". Behind these two guise of promotion of humanitarian. ideals, episcopal communiques lies a protracted peace and social progress". The Yugoslav and complex dispute stretching back a Catholic bishops' conferences has re­ number of years. sponded to the Vatican document in two It was in February 1968 that Cardinal stages. Franjo Seper, the Archbishop of Zagreb, At their meeting in Zagreb from 20 to 22 who had been a prominent figure at the April 1982, the bishops took cognisance of 1962-65 Se,cond Vatican Council·, founded a the declaration, noting that it had been con­ centre for "conciliar" research called firmed and approved by the Pope and that it Krscanska SadaSnjost. From the beginning, was binding for all bishops, priests and the centre's leading light and most eminent religious. The bishops stated that "priestly figure was Dr Tomislav Sagi-Bunic, a Fran­ associations may not legally exist or operate ciscan theologian who had attracted much within the Church without getting approval 'attention at the Second Vatican Council as for their statutes and activities from' indi­ Cardinal Seper's peritus (expert). The vidual bishops in whose areas they intend to centre {ound a publisher of real talent in Dr operate" . The conference >appointed a J osip TurCinovic and an excellent editor and special commission to study the status of writer in Dr Vjekoslav Bajsic, like the other associations affected by the decree. Mgr two a professor at the Zagreb Theological Josip Pavlisic, the Archbishop of Rijeka, Faculty. The centre soon developed into a was made its chairman and Mgr Djuro dynamic organisation exerting influence not KokSa, Auxiliary Bishop of Zagr~b, its only in Zagreb and Croatia but also beyond secretary. and attracting a good deal of support from, Five months later, at a meeting in particularly, young people. Its high-quality Djakovo, in northeastern Croatia, held publishing output included translations Three of the four newly-created Cardinals in Eastern Europe. Above Cardinal Joachim Meisner of East Germany, below left Cardinal Franjo Kuharic of Yugoslavia, (both photos courtesy of Glaube in der 2. Welt) and below right Cardinal Jatef Glemp of Poland (photo courtesy Keston Colege). For biographical information, see pp. 204-7. The new Cardinal from Latvia, Julijans Vaivods (above left). An interview with him appears on pp. 207-9. (Photo courtesy of Keston College.) A lecture by Dr Franc Rode (above right) entitled "Our True Christianity - Today and Tomorrow" (translation on pp. 217-21) remains unpublished in his native Slovenia, Yugoslavia. (Photo courtesy of Dr Rode.) The selected writings of the Hungarian Lutheran Bishop Lajos Ordass (right) are' reviewed on pp. 178-87. (Photo courtesy of the Conference of the Hungarian Lutheran Church Workers Abroad.) Chronicle 201 from western theological literature. Under logical Faculty or sit on its directing body. It the editorship of Dr Bajsie, the centre also also became quite clear that TDKS mem­ launched a highly successful popular family bers stood little chance of being appointed magazine called Kana (Cana - in Galilee) bishops. The church authorities could not and a bulletin of religious news called disband TDKS because it is a body formed AKSA, which soon became one of the chief under state, not church law, but its leaders sources of information, about not only the were asked by the, bishops not to recruit new Catholic Church in Yugoslavia but also members. They promised to follow the about the broader field of church-state bishops' instructio)J. The line that had won relations. * the day was the patient and conciliatory one In May 1977, the Krscanska Sada.snjost of Archbishop Kuharie. But this did not group founded a new body - the Theologi­ stop Archbishop Franie from banning the cal Association - and registered it with the priests of his archdiocese in southern Yugoslav authorities as a "self-managing Croatia from membership of TDKS. He organisation". This step caused a good deal also forbade TDKS activities in his arch­ of upset within the Church, not least diocese. because it had been taken without prior TDKS's parent organisation, Krscanska consultation with the hierarchy. Cardinal Sada.snjost, continued to go from strength Seper criticised the new body over the to strength in the publishing field. It ex­ Croatian-language section of Vatican tended its activities into film-making (docu­ Radio and dissociated himself from it. mentaries on religious and historical Archbishop Franjo Kuharie, who had suc­ themes), and the production of records and ceeded Cardinal Seper when the latter was cassettes. Its series of Croatian Christmas appointed prefect of the Congregation for carols, recorded with the participation of the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly Holy well-known singers and instrumentalists, Office), was also deeply upset. He had been achieved instant popularity and success not kept in the dark - despite the fact that he only in Croatia and elsewhere among had given much encouragement to the Croatian Catholics in Yugoslavia but also group in the past. abroad. ' Some bishops, notably Mgr Frane Franie, By contrast, the, Theological Association the Archbishop of Split, saw the Theologi­ and its leading figures continued to cause cal Association from the start as a factor of controversy and annoyance. In 1978, Fr disunity within the Church and, whatever TurCinovic offended many in the Church by the intentions of its founders and members, giving a long interview to Start, the Yugo­ a potential instrument of the Church's slav counterpart to the Playboy magazine, manipulation by the regime. TDKS's reply which regularly publishes anti-Church reply was that there was nothing sinister articles. His claim that he was unaware the about its activities or, for that matter, interview was for Start did hot impress the registration with the State; which - TDKS critics. Fr Bajsic wrote in a regime-con­ leaders claimed· - was purely for the pur­ trolled magazine that the Church in Croatia poses of obtaining a tax concession for was still suffering from a "colonial, bunker which only "self-managing" bodies are mentality", appropriate when the Church eligible under Yugoslav law. This did not was the only force defending the Croatian reassure the critics, who noted the record nation~ but not any longer. Once again, speed with which TDKS's registration with much annoyance and hurt in the Church. In the authorities was rushed through as well February of last year, FrSagi-Bunic took as other signs of the Yugoslav regime's part in a debate on Zagreb television, a rare approval for the new body and benevolence appearance by a Catholic theologian. His towards it. remarks about marriage and divorce, which No immediate action against TDJ(S was ' were widely interpreted as an indication of taken by the Church authorities but the his disagreement with the Church's teach­ Vatican issued an instruction whereby ing, caused much criticism. The fact that Fr TDKS members could not fill the positions Sagi-Bunic allowed himself to be treated of dean and sub-dean of the Zagreb Theo- rather patronisingly, not to say insultingly, by the woman chairing the discussion, made *AKSA is now regularly excerpted and for even more hostile criticism on the summarised in RCL; see pp. 197-99 of this ground that the theologian had i'ndirectly issue-Ed. hurt the Church's prestige. Two years 202 Chronicle before, at the time of President Tito's death October that certain churchmen wanted to in May 1980, the Theological Association become partners of the State and were using had held a special commemorative meeting the Catholic Church in Poland as their at which Fr Sagi-Bunic, its president, had model. He deplored the banning of TDKS delivered what many Croats, Catholics and whose emergence he called "an event that non-Catholics alike, judged to have been an had enriched both religious freedoms and excessively eulogistic lecture about Tito the our intellectual and cultural life". A com­ statesman. mentator in Vjesnik spoke of a "guillotine Last year opinion against TDKS had har~ for TDKS" and called the bishops' ban on dened because of the political and theologi­ TDKS "a tragedy for the Church and cul­ cal stance of its leadership. On the eve of ture here". An article in the Split daily the bishops' meeting in Djakovo in Sep­ Slobodna Dalmacija (Free Dalmatia) on tember last year, they received a petition 5 December spoke of "some sinful theolo­ from 150 young Catholic intellectuals in gians" who are "questioning the Church's Zagreb, Split and Zadar criticising TDKS hierarchical structure".