Catholic Church in Croatia

The Catholic Church in Croatia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church and follows the guidance of the Pope. The main group, called the Latin Church, is led by the Croatian Bishops' Conference and is centered in the city of Zagreb. It includes five big areas called archdioceses, thirteen smaller areas called dioceses, and one special area for military leaders called a military ordinariate. Dražen Kutleša serves as the Archbishop of Zagreb.

In 2011, about 3.7 million people in Croatia were baptized Latin Catholics, and around 20,000 were baptized Eastern Catholics of the Greek Catholic Church of Croatia and Serbia. Together, they made up about 86% of the country's population. By 2021, around 83% of people in Croatia identified as Catholic, while about 3.3% were Serbian Orthodox. Church attendance in Croatia is higher than in many other European Catholic countries, with about 27% of Catholics attending church each week in 2017.

An important place for Catholics in Croatia is the national Marian shrine located in Marija Bistrica. The country's patron saint is Saint Joseph, a title given by the Croatian Parliament in 1687 when they all agreed to honor him.

History

Roman Illyrians and early Christianity

The western part of the Balkan Peninsula was conquered by the Roman Empire by 168 BC after a long process known as the Illyrian Wars. Through being part of the Roman Empire, various religious cults were brought into the region. This included the religion of Christianity. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 391.

Indeed, Salona, the capital city of the province of Dalmatia, was one of the earliest places in the region connected with Christianity. St. Titus, a disciple of St. Paul the Apostle, was active in Dalmatia.

Conversion of the Croats

The Croats settled in the area of present-day Croatia after successful war against the Avars. There is little information about the "Baptism of the Croats", but it is known that it was peacefully and freely accepted, and that it started since the 7th century. After the baptism, the Croats made a promise that never would they go upon a foreign country and make war upon it, but would rather live at peace with all who were willing to do so.

Middle Ages

First certain signs of Church organization revival can be dated to the mid-or-late-8th century, with the Salonitan Archdiocese replaced as ecclesial centre by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zadar, and then by the Archbishopric of Spalathon (Split) by the late-8th century.

Croatian rulers were building churches and monasteries. Pope Nicholas I warned the bishop and clergy that cannot establish new churches without papal approval.

Since the 9–10th century in Croatia existed a unique phenomenon in the entire world of Catholicism, a non-Latin liturgy that was held in Church Slavonic language with Glagolitic script by Cyril and Methodius, approved by Pope Adrian II and Pope John VIII.

After the Great Schism

In the period of East–West Schism (1054), Croatian kings confirmed allegiance and support to the reforms of the Holy See. King Demetrius Zvonimir was crowned on 8 October 1075/76 at Salona in the Basilica of Saint Peter and Moses by Gebizon, a representative of Pope Gregory VII.

By the 11th and 12th century existed around 50 Benedictine monasteries.

Austrian Empire/Austria-Hungary

The Austrian Empire signed a concordat with the Holy See in 1855 which regulated the Catholic Church within the empire.

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

In Yugoslavia, the Croatian bishops were part of the Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia.

The situation of the Catholic Church in the new kingdom was affected by the pro-Orthodox policy of the Yugoslav government and the strong influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country's politics. After the coup of 1929, several Catholic organizations and institutes were closed or dissolved.

The Church in the Independent State of Croatia

In 1941, a Nazi puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia, was established by the fascist dictator Ante Pavelić and his Ustaše movement.

Many Croatian nationalist clergy supported the regime. Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac made many public statements criticizing developments in the NDH. On Sunday, 24 May 1942, he condemned injustice and violence committed in the name of theories of race, although not mentioning Serbs.

The Church in communist Yugoslavia

The National Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Croatia originally foresaw a greater degree of religious freedom in the country.

In 1945, the retired bishop of Dubrovnik, Josip Marija Carević, was murdered by Yugoslav authorities.

In 1946, the Communist regime introduced the Law on State Registry Books which allowed the confiscation of church registries and other documents. On 31 January 1952, the communist regime officially banned all religious education in public schools.

The Church in the Republic of Croatia

After Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia, the Catholic Church regained its full freedom and influence.

During the Croatian War of Independence, Catholicism and Orthodoxy were often cited as a basic division between Croats and Serbs, which led to a massive destruction of churches.

The Catholic Church in Croatia in modern times is very active in social and political life. It has implemented a number of actions in conservative spirit to promote its values such as: non-working Sunday, introducing religious education in schools, protection of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, opposition to abortion, opposition to euthanasia, promotion of natural methods of family planning and the treatment of infertility, and opposition to artificial birth control methods.

Demographics

The 2011 census in Croatia showed that about 3.7 million people, or 86% of the country's population, were Catholics. These Catholics included mostly Croats, but also people from other groups such as Italians, Hungarians, Czechs, Roma, Slovenes, Albanians, Slovaks, Serbs, Germans, Ruthenians, Ukrainians, and others.

Organisation

The Catholic Church in Croatia is organized into groups led by bishops. The main group of bishops is called the Croatian Conference of Bishops, and it is led by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Dražen Kutleša.

There are special groups of Franciscans, such as the one based in Zagreb, Zadar, and Split. Other religious groups include Dominicans, Jesuits, Salesians, and Carmelites. Croatia has also had missionaries who worked in places like India, Peru, and Rwanda.

Places of Pilgrimage of the Croats

Some important places where people gather for religious visits in Croatia include Aljmaš, Ludbreg, Our Lady of Marija Bistrica, Our Lady of Sinj, and Our Lady of Trsat. These locations hold special meaning for many in the Catholic community.

Caritative work

Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac started a group called Caritas in Zagreb in the 1930s to help people. Another leader before him, Josip Lang, also encouraged this kind of work. Later, in 1989, leaders in Yugoslavia created a Caritas group, which became Caritas Croatia in the early 1990s.

Today, there are many Catholic groups that help others, like Marijini obroci (Mary's meals) and Kap dobrote ('Drop of goodness').

Education

The Catholic Church in Croatia has four schools focused on religious studies, located in Zagreb, Split, Đakovo, and Rijeka. The Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Sciences in Zagreb is managed by the Jesuits.

There are Catholic seminaries in Zagreb, Split, Zadar, and Sinj to train future church leaders. Croatia also has 10 Catholic schools for children and teenagers in cities like Rijeka, Zadar, Zagreb, Šibenik, Split, Dubrovnik, Slavonski Brod, and Sinj.

Media

The Catholic Church has been very important in keeping Croatian culture alive and has greatly shaped Croatian literature. Many famous writers, like poets (Marko Marulić, Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević, Antun Branko Šimić) and playwrights, were inspired by the Church. Some of the first printed books in Croatia, called incunabulas, are connected to the Church, as are early written records like the Baška tablet.

Today, Catholic media continues to play a big role. The weekly newspaper Glas Koncila is very influential. During the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s, the Croatian Catholic News Agency was created, followed by Croatian Catholic Radio in 1997. In 2015, Laudato TV, a private Catholic TV station, began broadcasting. In 2018, the news agency and the radio joined together to form the Croatian Catholic Network.

There are also many publishing houses and scientific journals linked to the Church, and popular TV and radio stations often include special programs about Christian beliefs.

Attitudes

Most people in Croatia say they are Catholics, but many do not always agree with the Church's teachings. A survey in 2017 found that only 27% went to church regularly. Many people had different views on important topics like marriage, family life, and what the Church teaches about certain choices people make. For example, 66% supported the Church's view on same-sex marriage, but only 25% agreed with its teachings about birth control, and 43% agreed with allowing women to be priests.

Controversies

The Catholic Church in Croatia has faced criticism for some of its actions and statements. Some people say the church has allowed certain harmful ideas and symbols to be shown during its events. For example, some groups have worn old military symbols linked to past conflicts during special church services.

There have also been statements made by church leaders that some people found upsetting or hurtful to others. These comments have led to discussions and disagreements about how the church should act and speak to its members and the wider community.

Notable people

Main page: Category:Croatian Roman Catholics

Here are some important people from the Catholic Church in Croatia:

• Josip Bozanić, a leader in the Church
• Ivan Burik, a priest who died during a war
• Juraj Dobrila, a bishop from the 1800s
• Marija Krucifiksa Kozulić, who started a special group of nuns
• Franjo Kuharić, a leader in the Church
• Antun Mahnić, who began an important movement in the Church
• Ivan Merz, a devoted member of the Church
• Alojzije Stepinac, a bishop during a difficult time
• Josip Juraj Strossmayer
• Franjo Šeper, a leader who helped change the Church
• Mihalj Šilobod Bolšić (1724–1787), a priest who was also a mathematician and writer

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