84 Chronicle

Yugoslav Press on Religion

Contemporary Christian News Service (Aktualnosti Krscanska Sadasnjosti).

AKSA is a weekly Catholic news scandal, a Muslim. Slobodna Dalma­ service published in Croatian in cija (Split, 10.9.87), Zagreb Radio Zagreb by the organisation "Con­ (10.9.87) and Zagreb TV (10.9.87) temporary Christianity". It includes were the first to carry a Tanjug news reports on items in the Yugoslav item that the imams in Velika secular press. Kladusa and Cazin were called to a meeting with the local officials and Controversy over New Mosque advised to praise in their sermons the policies of Agrokomerc director Fik­ Several newspapers reported that a ret Abdic which were not in step with new mosque in Zagreb was handed the policies of the Federal Govern­ over for use to the Islamic commun­ ment. Slobodna Dalmacija called this ity on 24 April 1987. According to "a crude manipulation of imams by Dnevnik (26.4.87) the official open­ politicians" . On the other hand ing was due to take place on Borba (Zagreb, 12113.9.87) and 6 September 1987. The building of Oslobodjenje (Sarajevo, 13.9.87) the mosque has, however, been carried a statement by an official in surrounded by controversy. The Bel­ Cazin who admitted meeting the grade fortnightly journal Politikin imams, but said that they discussed Svet (7.5.87) claims that the contro­ their departure for the opening versy centres round the contract ceremony of the new mosque. signed between the Islamic religious The next step was taken by Borba community and the Pescenica com­ (Zagreb, 18.9.87) which printed a mune in Zagreb, on whose territory statement by Vladimir Peic, Head of the mosque stands. Politikin Svet Department at the National Bank in carries a statement by the commune's Bosnia and Hercegovina, accusing legal representative to the effect that the principals of Agrokomerc of the Islamic community failed to establishing a local centre of a adhere'to original plans and erected a Middle Eastern religious and military building for which no planning organisation, with the aim of permission had been given. Conse­ destabilising Yugoslavia. Peic stated quently, both the mosque and its that Agrokomerc contributed 3,500 opening to the public are illegal. million dinars to the building of the new mosque in Zagreb, that the enterprise had business connections The Agrokomerc FinancialScandal with Iran and that it was true that the local imams had been induced to The big financial scandal Jnvolving pray for and publicly support the the Bosnian enterprise Agrokomerc Director Fikret Abdic. Nedjel}na from Velika Kladusa produced far­ Borba (Zagreb, 19120.9.87) revealed reaching revelations with religious more about the business connections connotations in the media particu­ with Iran when Agrokomerc pub­ larly after the resignation of the lished a denial that it had ever given Vice-President of the Presidency of any contributions to the new mosque Yugoslavia Hamdija Pozderac, who but at the same time admitted that it is, like the protagonists in the had exported 2,000 tons of ritually Chronicle 85 slaughtered broiler chickens to Iran ideology. The Cardinal pointed out in each of the years 1983 and 1984: that, contrary to public statements by this had involved the permanent high officials, declared believers were presence of Iranian students in the still barred from any higher position slaughterhouse to supervise the pro­ in public life. These were reserved, he ceedings. (AKSA 25.9.87.) said, for Party members, which In an attempt to find the reasons meant that believers are treated as behind the resignation of Hamdija second class citizens. The Cardinal Pozderac, who comes from a respect­ also complained that the media were able Muslim family distinguished free to attack the church, its repre­ by its revolutionary tradition, the sentatives and the people's religious weekly NIN (Belgrade, 20.9.87) con­ beliefs as such, without giving them cludes that he took the decision the opportunity to reply. But the because he felt that certain people in Cardinal pointed out that in Yugo­ high positions hated him because he slavia, compared to certain other was a Muslim. In an interview socialist countries, the church enjoys published in the weekly Danas (Zag­ complete freedom from official inter­ reb, 22.9.87) Pozderac reacted ference in her internal affairs. Never­ aggressively to the suggestion that theless the church wished to go a step there were people who believed that further, the Cardinal said, and was he was first and foremost a Muslim prepared to enter into a dialogue with nationalist and that he was the the authorities on matters which principal driving force behind the concern believers, and this might revival of Islam in Yugoslavia. involve some critical analyses. The As for the statement by Vladimir church considered this to be her right Peic which started it all, Slobodna and duty, said the Cardinal in Dalmacija (Split, 22.9.87) quotes the conclusion. (AKSA 6.3.87.) secretary of the Velika Kladusa Nedjeljni Vjesnik, the main Zagreb League of Communists Committee Sunday paper, was quick to react who called Peic a liar and said that he (8.3.87) to the interview by Cardinal had already been expelled from the Kuharic commenting that the Cardi­ Party twice and will now be expelled nal's assessment of church-state rela­ for the third time. (AKSA, 25.9.87.) tions was "pessimistic". But there is more to it than that, it said: when the Cardinal complained about the in­ Church-State Relations equality of believers he meant that their political and not their religious AKSA (March 1987) reports on an freedom had been curtailed, which interview given by Cardinal Kuharic proves that the Cardinal attempted to to the Catholic journal Veritas. The meddle in politics making thereby the interview covered a whole range of process of improving church-state topics, but church-state relations relations more difficult. (AKSA figured most prominently. Asked 13.3.87.) . about improvements in these rela­ Another attack on Cardinal Kuharic tions Cardinal Kuharic pointed out appeared in Vecernje Novosti (Bel­ that public statements do not always grade, 10.3.1987), but this was an correspond to reality and said that attack on his failure to mention in a the socialist systems were based on speech that the population of Croatia Marxist ideology and atheism was incorporated a sizeable Serbian part of that ideology. This, he said, minority and on his attempts to created a series of problems for those rehabilitate the late Cardinal Stepi­ individuals who refuse to accept that nac as well as on his statement 86 Chronicle about the status of believers. The [sic] content. Cardinal's statements were made at the beginning of the year and had already been attacked by the media at Ecumenical Journal that time. (AKSA 13.3.87.) AKSA (July 1987) reports on the publication in Sarajevo of the first Archbishop's Christmas Message issue of a new religious periodical Zajedno published jointly by the The broadcasting of Christmas greet­ Serbian Orthodox Priests', Catholic ings on Ljubljana Radio at Christ­ Priests' and Muslim Priests' Associa­ mas 1986 has been discussed in the tions of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Yugoslav press. The broadcast was The periodical, initiated at a joint made by Archbishop Sustar and Joze meeting on 22 April 1987, will be Smole, President of the Socialist published at six-monthly intervals Alliance of Slovenia. Vjesnik (Zag­ and the first issue contains 16 pages reb, 23.5.87) reported a meeting of printed in both the Cyrillic and the the Federal Committee for Religious Latin alphabet. The editorial points Affairs of the Socialist Alliance of out that .the need to promote good Yugoslavia in Belgrade on 22 May relations, tolerance and love between 1987. The meeting ended without the members of different religious reaching a unanimous decision on the communities is even greater in Bosnia attitude to take regarding the broad­ and Hercegovina than elsewhere in casts, but a representative of the the country, because members of Federal Government was quoted as these communities live in such close saying that it was unconstitutional to proximity to each other. On 26 May allow representatives of religious 1987 in a special programme devoted communities to use the media for to the new bulletin Sarajevo TV religious purposes. Another delegate announced that the bulletin is to be replied that the same should apply to printed in 3,000 copies to be distri­ using the media for atheistic propa­ buted . initially among the Associa­ ganda, because atheism,like religion, tions' members only. was a private matter for every individual. According to Vjesnik, opinions were just as divided at a Medjugorje fineeting in Zagreb of the Croatian Assembly's Commission for Reli­ The sixth anniversary of the appear­ gious Affairs. A delegate from Serbia ance of the Madonna in Medjugorje agreed that church leaders should be on 25 June 1987 brought not only a given the opportunity to broad­ great influx of pilgrims from all over cast their Christmas greetings, but the world, but also much media another delegate said that Arch­ coverage. and comment. The reports bishop Sustar's greetings had been focused i.n particular on two aspects openly political in content e'!c.pressing of the phenomenon: the miIlions lost Catholic church policy. Dnevnik by the Yugoslavs to foreign tourist. (Novi Sad, 23.5.87) reported that agencies, and the controversy within several delegates taking part in the the Catholic Church about the true debate said that there should be no significance of the visions. objection to the church leaders using The fact that, owing to the inactiv­ the media for sending Christmas ity of the Yugoslav tourist agencies, greetings to believers provided the foreign agencies had the field to greetings did not have any religious themselves was pointed out in the Chronicle 87 daily current affairs programme on had nominated a special commission Zagreb TV (14.6.87). Glas IstrelNovi to study the events. The number of List (Rijeka, 8/9.8.87) reprinted an members of the commission was article from Veeernje Novosti (Bel­ increased to 15 with nine theologians grade) reporting the sensational cal­ and two top psychiatrists. The com­ culations of some Italian journalists mission sat for three years keeping that Italian tourist enterprises have the Holy See informed about its harvested a total of 10,000 million findings. After three years it took a dollars since the pilgrimages began, vote; two members accepted that the which equals half of the total Yugo­ appearances of the Madonna were slav foreign debt. Vjesnik (Zagreb, genuine, one member abstained, 28.6.87) printed the same figure, but and 11 declared that there was as turnover for the agencies rather nothing supernatural there. The than profit. Zagreb TV (25.6.87) commission's conclusions had now gave the overall number of pilgrims been put to another commission to have visited Medjugorje as eight to nominated by the Conference of ten million, predicting that between Bishops of Yugoslavia. Publicly cen­ 300,000 and 500,000 pilgrims would suring the local Franciscan parish pass through at the time of the priests for having organised pilgrim­ anniversary. ages before any decision by the The Yugoslav authorities are church authorities on the authenticity beginning to take note of the tourists, of the visions, the Bishop even went however. Politika (Belgrade, 8.8.87) so far as to pronounce that he was reported that a Medjugorje Urban forbidding them to celebrate Mass Development Plan had been adopted anywhere within the boundaries of and a new tourist settlement with 300 his diocese. (AKSA, 14.8.87.) beds was to be completed by the end This speech aroused some com­ of September. According to a piece ment in the press. The weekly Danas in the same newspaper on 4 July (Zagreb, 25.8.87) concluded an 1987, the communal authorities in­ article on the Bishop's speech by tend to introduce a policy of registra­ quoting the Bishop's exclamation tion of all foreign pilgrims, aimed at "Whatever are they doing to "you, preventing the spread of AIDS by Mother of Jesus!", to which the people suffering from the disease paper added its own assumed reply, who might come to Medjugorje to "They are making money, they are seek a cure. (AKSA, 10.7.87). attracting people, they are playing The controversy over the visions politics, they are exploiting the reli­ within the Catholic Church was gious beliefs of the masses and many highlighted in a sermon by the other things, but all this is not Bishop of Mostar, Monsignor Pavao to everybody's liking." (AKSA, Zanic, to a group of young people 28.8.87.) being confirmed at Medjugorje on Compiled by members of 25 July 1987. He said that in 1982 he Keston College staff Irins by Dick Rodgers The indomitable spirit and courage of Irina Ratushinskaya touched the Western World. The powerful simplicity of her poetry penetrated even the walls of Soviet labour camps. "Help me to save my wife!" The pleas of her husband, Igor, were voiced through Keston College. Dick Rodgers took up the challenge, spending his days in conditions similar to Irina's so that the Western World would take notice. Ifina, a story about a spirit that could not be broken and a belief that could not be shaken. What happens when a group of determined individuals confronts a Superpower? irina, by Dick Rodgers. Available from Keston College for £2· 50 (add 50p for. postage and packing).