Zagreb, (IKA) – On the eve of the Feast of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, the Public Relations Office of the Zagreb Archdiocese organized a press conference at which journalists from Church and lay media who cover the Church met with Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute in Zagreb. Ms. Matilda Kolić Stanić, the head of the Office, welcomed those assembled on behalf of the organizer. Cardinal Bozanić pointed out that the name of Alojzije Stepinac has great significance for each individual, for the Church among the Croatian nation but also for the Universal Church. Stepinac has become our sign of recognition because his person represents a summation of our entire history, said Cardinal Bozanić. He stated that as a Christian but also as the archbishop of Zagreb he was aware of the role that journalists have in our society today. “I can say personally that I often pray for you and I would want all your efforts to be truly in the service of the person, and for you to feel this profoundly,” said Cardinal Bozanić, who expressed joy at the presence of the Rev. Živko Kustić, whom he called the greatest Catholic journalist of the past decades in Croatia.
The Rev. Kustić spoke about the role and significance of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac. He recalled that for Croatian Catholic journalists who started writing in 1963, Stepinac was and has remained a symbol of Croatian Catholicism, which ultimately and on the occasion of his beatification was proclaimed throughout the whole world. He stressed that we must never forget this because out of all the hundreds upon hundreds of persons beatified and canonized by Pope John Paul II, it was only Stepinac that the Pope described as the summation of the Catholic position toward all the dictatorships of the 20th century. Moreover, the Rev. Kustić drew a parallel between the passage in the Gospel on Jesus’ temptation in the desert (Mt 4,1-11) and the temptations to which the Blessed Stepinac very decisively responded in his name and in the name of the Church. Stepinac’s response, like that of Jesus in the desert, was the opposite of what was demanded. He refused to accept the offer from the state to break with the Holy See, which certainly would have afforded the Church a better position, and he went to prison, i.e. he figuratively went to the desert. The Church was left without all its properties and without any secure income, a situation which lasted for nearly a half a century. Never in history, neither before nor since, has any priest or Church meant so much to the people or was so close to them as during the time when Stepinac, at the head of our entire episcopate and clergy, demonstrated that the Church does not succumb to riches. The Gospel also speaks of miracles. In 1945 and afterwards, miracles as such did not occur. There were no heavenly proclamations, no saints with special manifestations, but there was the great miracle of the suffering of the Church. More than 600 innocent priests and nuns were executed, mostly without trials, and hundreds upon hundreds of priests were sentenced and sent to prison. However, it was demonstrated that the Church can endure in its suffering, in its witness and without the help of the state. Satan’s third temptation was that Jesus should prostrate himself and worship him. The authorities seek this from the Church, they sought it then and they will seek it, and nearly every authority wants the Church to rule with it, to be a co-ruler, sub-ruler or a hireling. Jesus refused this. Stepinac refused this. The miracle of Stepinac’s triple refusal of the temptations offered to him by the communist state, that closely parallel the temptations mentioned in the Gospel, demonstrates the purpose of Stepinac’s existence in that century. The Church in the Zagreb Archdiocese and practically all those connected to it accepted Jesus’ response to Satan, recalled the Rev. Kustić, noting that if the Church today knew how to follow his example to the end, many temptations would be avoided. The Rev. Kustić mentioned that it is frequently emphasized that Stepinac cooperated with the authorities, but this seems one-sided. That the head of the Church spoke with the authorities, that he accepted them as being in a position of authority, is in no way a sign that he considered this authority to be legitimate, that he confirmed it and subjugated himself to it. On the contrary, he wanted to speak to those who could do great good and great evil in his nation. The Church by its contact with the authorities does not confirm their legitimacy but the fact of their authority. In this connection, the Rev. Kustić recommended a book by the late Rev. Celestin Tomić, OFMConv, The Power of the Written Word (Moć pisane riječi). He also recollected how we became Stepinac’s Church, how a type of Croatian Catholicism was created which can justifiably be called Stepinac’s. This means freedom from every pressure by the state, covert authorities, money etc. at any price. In conclusion, the Rev. Kustić noted that it is always necessary to bear Stepinac’s motto in mind: “Faithful to one’s nation and faithful to one’s God.”
Following the presentation by Don Živko Kustić, Cardinal Bozanić answered questions from the journalists.
In response to a question about the proposed legislation that should regulate work on Sundays, Cardinal Bozanić said that he had still not seen it but that the Church expects the authorities to regulate this area as soon as possible. He noted that the position of the Church on Sunday as a family day, as a day that should be reserved for the person, is clear.
Responding to a question on the reasons for a drop in the birth rate, the cardinal expressed the opinion that the person of today is pressured by the fear of responsibilities, entering marriage and taking a definition position that he/she must stand behind. Regarding ecumenicism, Cardinal Bozanić pointed out that the Catholic Church openly supports every ecumenical attempt but noted that ecumenicism is not a political question but a profound religious process. In response to a question on the Church’s position in connection with the Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone (ZERP), the cardinal said that the Church is not commenting on this matter but mentioned that the Church represents certain principles. Thus, in this case we must follow the principle that even in European integration we must not allow some to be equal and some to be more equal. If something is permitted to one and another, let it also be permitted to a third. In this aspect, it is necessary for the state authorities to negotiate as equals and not on their knees, said the cardinal. He also announced that the Church will commemorate the 110th anniversary of the birth and the 10th anniversary of the beatification of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac appropriately. “We are attempting to make the commemoration broader than of merely national significance,” he announced, adding that accepting the truth is an indicator of orientation. “Many, even when everything is evident, assert that which they wish to assert,” he cautioned.
After the meeting, the journalists toured the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac Museum in the Nebojan Tower, and were taken to see the third gallery of the tower of the Zagreb cathedral by Zvonimir Rukavina, a civil engineer.