Zagreb, (IKA) – Senior representatives of the religious communities in Croatia issued a statement from the Eighth Interfaith Encounter held on May 7 in the premises of the Bet Israel Jewish Community in Zagreb, in which they warn of the many forms of crisis in society, our country, Europe and the world, of which the most striking is economic. “It is not possible to deny the numerous efforts that have been undertaken by the state authorities and our religious communities through charitable and humanitarian activities. Nevertheless, it also cannot be denied that all of this has not been sufficient. The crisis is not subsiding but is becoming more profound,” reads the statement, which asserts that the number of people who are knocking on the doors of the state and religious social and charitable institutions is increasing, and that it is impossible not to notice those people who are physically surviving by rummaging through refuse containers. “The poor at our doors and the people around the refuse containers indicate to us that some of the people in Croatia are no longer on the brink of starvation but are literally starving. Day after day, young educated people who cannot find work in their homeland are being forced to go to other countries, which will have long-term consequences for the Croatian society as a whole. Stratification into the rich and poor classes continues. There are an increasing number of those who are unemployed or who work without receiving a salary. We understand employers in their struggle for survival but we also urge them to behave responsibly and fairly toward their employees,” says the statement.
In the context of Croatia’s forthcoming accession to the European Union, which the representatives of the religious communities welcome, they are also aware of the associated advantages and challenges. Therefore, they support all the European Union’s positive achievements but condemn all manifestations of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Christianophobia and xenophobia in the EU. The representatives of the religious communities expressed profound sorrow due to the serious failures in the political and economic life of the country, which have led to the impoverishment and utter misery of many Croatian citizens, through no fault of their own and for which they bear no responsibility. The representatives of the religious communities sincerely sympathize with them and often share the same or similar problems. “As contrary to the fundamental human and constitutional rights and the moral principles of our religions, we reject all selfish and unfair manipulations that have been committed during privatization so far, war and all other profiteering, usury and usurious lending, unprofessional and unscrupulous dealings with the common goods of the citizens of our country, indifference to the preservation of jobs, irresponsible external and internal borrowing by the state, and all other practices that have brought our economically promising country with numerous comparative advantages, exceptional natural and human resources, to the current grave situation. Although it could be reasonably concluded from the present unenviable situation, which was significantly contributed to by the war, that the political and economic leadership during the period of the independence of our country has not been sufficiently up to their task, the goal of our appeal is not to condemn either the current or previous governments, or anyone else. We are where we are! We are also not abdicating our own responsibilities. The goal of this joint statement is to inspire and motivate all the key factors, political, economic, media, religious etc., and all Croatian citizens, aware of the gravity and responsibility of the moment and situation, to mobilize all their forces, each according to their own abilities, in the areas where they work and are the most qualified. We are not economists and, therefore, do not have concrete proposals for a short-term way out of the economic crisis. However, we see continued deterioration in the economic situation and an urgent need for coordinating efforts as soon as possible to achieve a synergetic effect and thus contribute to halting the economic decline of our country through our own efforts,” emphasizes the statement, which also expresses the conviction that the current economic crisis is primarily a moral and ethical crisis. The crisis of the economy is a crisis of the heart and spirit, a crisis of fundamental human formation and education for empathy, solidarity, equality and justice.

The statement notes that the religious communities, with their common religious values and millennia of experience, can make a significant contribution to the moral and ethical transformation and sensitization of all classes of society for greater social justice. In the statement, the religious representatives note that all “are pained due to the dramatic cases of numerous layoffs, bankruptcies, evictions of families and foreclosures that are associated with profound, often permanent, traumas in the lives of the children and parents affected.”
Therefore, the senior representatives of the religious communities appeal to the authorities in these matters to take maximum account of their human, social and even medical-psychological dimensions, in addition to the statutory and legal aspects of these cases, and attempt to secure sufficient alternative solutions.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Council of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for Ecumenism and Dialogue, Bishop Vlado Košić of Sisak; the Secretary of the Council, Prof. Dr. Jure Zečević; the Archpriest Stavrofor of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Fr. Slobodan Lalić; the Archpriest of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archdiocese, Fr. Kirko Velinski; the Vicar General of the Lutheran Church in the Republic of Croatia, Branko Berić; the Secretary of the Synod of the Reformed (Calvinist) Churches in the Republic of Croatia, Branimir Bučanović; the President of the Baptist Union of the Republic of Croatia, Toma Magda; the Secretary of the Evangelical Pentecostal Church in Croatia, Dr. Vedran Đulabić, the Secretary of the Adriatic Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Srećko Kuburić, the Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Zagreb, Luciano Moše Prelević; the Rabbi of the Bet Israel Jewish Community of Croatia, Kotel Da-Don; and a Member of the Meshihat of the Islamic Community in the Republic of Croatia, Ef. Mevludin Arslani.