Zagreb, (IKA) – On Thursday, November 28, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops presented a statement on the protection of the family and the need for the state to maintain dialogue with the Churches and communities of conviction on ethical issues concerning the common good, entitled “In Defense of Marriage and the Family—On the Family and the December 1st Referendum,” at the headquarters of the Croatian Conference of Bishops in Zagreb. The presentation was attended by all the members of the Commission. Greetings were delivered by the President of the Commission, Bishop Vlado Košić of Sisak. The statement was read to the assembled journalists by a member of the Commission, Prof. Aleksandra Korać Graovac, Ph.D.
The statement noted that the institution of marriage would only be strengthened by being entered into the Constitution, since marriage is an institution of a man and a woman, as formally proclaimed by the universal documents on human rights of today’ democracies, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Human Rights of the United Nations, and especially the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe. Croatia has adopted the aforementioned Declaration and ratified the two Covenants, so these documents are binding on us.
Emphasizing the importance of the first referendum and civil initiative in the free and independent Republic of Croatia, as a form of direct decision-making, the Commission noted that no one’s rights are affected by the referendum. This referendum can prevent capricious changes to the institution of marriage by the eventual arbitrariness of the parliamentary majority, irrespective of the will of the people, as shown by the case in France. Therefore, the success of this referendum will ensure that the institution of a union of a man and woman, which in itself provides the legal basis for the establishment of a family, will more enduringly respect that union which is the best environment for every child—a responsible loving union of a mother and father, according to the statement.
At the end of the statement, it is pointed out that the initiative “On Behalf of the Family,” which is not solely of Catholic or Christian provenance but also Islamic, Jewish, Agnostic and Atheistic, has shown that in Croatia there is no dialogue, especially no institutionalized dialogue regarding issues of fundamental importance between the legislative/executive authorities and the religious communities. Therefore, the Commission proposes that for any changes to the Constitution, the Croatian Government and Parliament should follow the example of the European Union and introduce “regular, open and transparent dialogue” with the Churches and other communities of conviction.
On this occasion, Bishop Košić announced that a forthcoming statement on other forms of union will be presented on December 4 at 12 noon. The English version of the statement “In Defense of Marriage and the Family—On the Family and the December 1st Referendum,” can be found in its entirety at the following link: http://www.ika.hr/index.php?prikaz=vijest&ID=155857