Zagreb, (IKA) – In the November 8 issue of the Zagreb daily newspaper Jutarnji list, there is an interview with the new president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Bishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo and Srijem. In his first interview with a daily newspaper since assuming the office of the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, he spoke about the coming elections and the recent message from the bishops of the CCB in reference to the elections, the crisis in the family, the mission of the Church, the presence of the communist mentality in Croatian society and other current questions.
Commenting at the beginning of the interview on President Mesić’s recent attack on Bishop Jezerinac, Bishop Srakić said: “A bishop, not even a military ordinary bishop, is not a general or a minister whom the president of the republic can replace.” “In the contract between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia, it clearly states that the military ordinary bishop is appointed by the Holy Father,” said Bishop Srakić, adding that it is neither customary nor proper for one bishop to comment upon the sermon of another bishop. Regarding the coming elections, he said that they are very important for Croatia because it is generally believed that Croatia will become a member of the European Union during the next four years, adding that no one is indifferent to what kind of Croatia will enter Europe or who will bring it in. “Those who win the elections will need to prepare Croatia for entry into the EU with wise policy and shrewd negotiations. However, even those who lose will not be relieved of responsibility. Our society cannot go forward if some are pulling it forward and others are hindering it,” emphasized Bishop Srakić. Regarding domestic politics, according to Bishop Srakić it would be necessary to refine the programs that will accelerate economic progress, change the old mentality of irresponsible behavior toward material goods and promote the honest acquisition and responsible management of property.
Speaking about the criteria and principles that the bishops of the CCB emphasized in their message in reference to the elections, according to which the faithful should evaluate candidates and parties in the parliamentary elections to be held on November 25, Bishop Srakić said: “The Catholic Church has always decisively stood for the integrity of life from conception to a natural death. Unfortunately, we all know that we have the most obsolete and most liberal abortion law in Europe. I hope that something will soon be done so that this law will finally be changed.” He added that our legislation on the family during the past fifteen or so years has changed, and that laws have been adopted that protect and promote the family but unfortunately there were those that were not for the benefit of the family. “Family legislation is of exceptional importance for the health and advancement of a nation and society, and this is especially the case for our Croatian society that is still passing through a painful period of transition,” said Bishop Srakić, adding that one of the criteria for the election of a candidate by the faithful should certainly be the position of the candidate and his or her party toward life and family politics. In response to the interviewer’s question whether the Church can do something concrete for the family, the new president of the CCB pointed out that the Church in its social doctrine supports so-called “family wages,” i.e. wages that are sufficient for supporting dignified family life. In connection with this, he added that employment is a crucial question for our society. He said that it is unfortunate that privatization and transformation have left grave consequences that have still not been remedied, and if this continues they will not be remedied soon. He also pointed out that it is not merely a question of the material condition of the family but the family as such is in crisis. “It is a question how much the Church can penetrate into our public life with its social doctrine. If ‘religious-social’ topics in the mass media are reduced to reports on blessings and dedications, then there is no benefit to the society from this, and the Church can only be hurt,” said the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops. One of the questions asked of the new president of the CCB was how much the Croatian society wants to know about the position of the Church on social questions. In his response, Bishiop Srakić observed: “Our society always expects the bishops to say something” and this is not good because the Church is not solely composed of bishops. “The lay faithful have something to say about our society. They should speak out, especially when they are expert in some area,” said Bishop Srakić.
In response to the interviewer’s statement that people from the Church, i.e. from the Church media, often stir fears concerning the return of communism, i.e. its active participation on the current scene, Bishop Srakić stated: “I would not say that the Church media stir fears concerning the return of the communist authorities but they do warn of the communist mentality which, as we all feel, is still present. This mentality is evident, for example, in the attitude toward public property, the attitude toward work, the assertion that crimes were only committed by the Ustashas, fascists and Nazis, and that the massive communist crimes did not occur. Furthermore, we all know that the party ordered the upbringing of children and young people without taking the parents into account. This is also connected with the question of catechism in the school. Since communism did not take into account that the Croatian nation is a religious Christian nation, a Catholic nation, even today some do not take into account that this nation still consists of the Catholic faithful. This is hardline communism. Thus, it is not a matter of communism as the authority but as the mentality. Who knows which is worse!? When Bishop Srakić was asked for a message to the political elite prior to the coming elections, he said: “Don’t promise that which is clear to everyone that you won’t be able to achieve after the elections! Learn from the old Dubrovnik rule – forget the private, take care of public affairs.”