Zagreb, (IKA) – Intense discussions about Catholic journalism in Croatia, especially its present and future, took place in Zagreb on November 5 and 6 among journalists and spokespersons engaged in Catholic institutions and media in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, who were attending an international colloquium in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Croatian Association of Catholic Journalists, which organized this gathering together with the International Catholic Union of the Press, (UCIP), represented by its Secretary General, Joseph Chittilappilly.
At the colloquium, numerous topics were discussed. Following greetings by the head of the Catholic weekly newspaper Glas Koncila, Nedjeljko Pintarić, and the delegate from the Committee for the Media of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Msgr. Ivan Devčić, these topics were discussed not only from the scholarly aspect but also in light of the experiences of the 50-odd participants in attendance.
After Dr. Mirko Mataušić, one of the founders of the Croatian Association of Catholic Journalists, presented the historical reasons for establishing the CACJ, there was a roundtable discussion on The Place and Role of Catholic Journalists in the Post-Communist Society, with introductory remarks by a journalist from Glas Koncila, Vlado Čutura, and a columnist from the daily newspaper Večernji list, Tihomir Dujmović.
In Čutura’s introduction, based upon experience he opened the topic of criticizing the Church in such a manner that some negative phenomena are ascribed to it as a label for the entire institution. Dujmović referred to the Catholic media and its members as the inhabitants of the last addresses where the Croatian society can find the truth in the media, urging the participants to persevere in defining relativized concepts such as justice, truth, patriotism, Croatianism etc. He particularly noted the role of Catholic journalists in shedding light on crimes from the communist era.
In the ensuing discussion, questions regarding Catholic education in Croatia were opened, which should produce educated and competent journalists. The first day of the meeting of the Catholic media professionals concluded with the celebration of Mass led by the head of GK, Rev. Pintarić, during which he particularly prayed for the deceased members of the CACJ.
On Saturday, the second day of lectures, there continued to be discussions about institutions, especially Church institutions. Dr. Željko Tanjić, a professor at the Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, and head of the publishing house Kršćanska sadašnjost, spoke about the challenges posed to the Church by multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious Europe, which he placed in the context of a critical attitude toward institutions and their tendency toward collapse. He also spoke about the difference between those who criticize in order to make an institution better and those who do so in order to destroy it.
There are many Catholic journalists who simultaneously write news for print and Internet editions, appear on the radio, host and produce television programs, and find themselves in the image of the contemporary journalist as presented by Dr. Jelena Jurišić of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb. Can a Catholic journalist simultaneously be a believer and a professional, asked Suzana Peran, M.S., the editor-in-chief of the Catholic Press Agency – IKA, noting that education is an ongoing and sometimes neglected requirement among Catholic Journalists in Croatia.
Conversations continued on Saturday afternoon when the editor-in-chief of Glas Koncila, Msgr. Ivan Miklenić, in response to the question “What topics Should the Catholic Media – Croatian Catholic Newspapers Cover?” spoke about numerous social issues that have been broached in recent months by various Catholic media. He particularly touched upon a frequently asked question, the reason why internal Church criticism rarely appears in the Catholic media. Some examples from Slovenian experience in this regard were also presented by Božo Rustija, M.S., responsible editor of the Catholic monthly publication Ognjišče, followed by experiences from Serbia presented by Andrija Anišić, M.S., and from Bosnia and Herzegovina presented by Dr. Ivan Šarčević.
The meeting of journalists concluded on Sunday, November 7, with a visit to Lepoglava, where Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac had been imprisoned, and a meeting with Bishop Josip Mrzljak of Varaždin.