Zagreb, March 12, 1999 (IKA) – Should believers, clergy and laity, be involved in politics or does politics, as some assert, inevitably corrupt those involved? These were only some of the points raised by the participants in a round table discussion organized on Friday, March 12, by the Croatian Peasants#! Party, entitled “The Believer and Politics.” Introductory remarks by party member Dr. Valentin Puževski stressed that the topic of the relationship of the believer toward politics is unavoidable if we want to build a just society, because without religion and a religious attitude toward life we can neither find solutions collectively nor as individuals. Dr. Puževski referred to Archbishop Josip Bozanić#!s recent Lenten Pastoral Letter, in which he calls for whole-hearted and responsible undertakings by all for the general good. The conclusion of the majority of the participants at the round table discussion was that Christians are indeed called upon to promote human dignity, even through political activity, serving the person and society not out of selfish interests but out of neighborly love. What the lay faithful can do in this respect was discussed at the round table by Liljana Matković-Vlašić. If we wish to act as Christians, she pointed out, we must not ignore facts that tell us that the world has fallen into an unprecedented general crisis, in which, for example, 20 percent of the population has control of 80 percent of the wealth. Prior to the democratic changes in Croatia, Catholic believers did not participate in political life at all or, if they did, were forced to conceal their faith to such an extent that they did not publicly differ substantially from atheists. Changing such a mentality requires a lot of time. Dr. Stipe Tadić spoke about the contemporary movements in the Catholic Church, which show how the faithful can organize themselves and participate actively.
Father Zvonimir Šagi Bono noted that today the Church is expected to speak out more substantively on social questions. These are not so much general ethical questions, e.g., the culture of life, sexual morals or abortion; as those concerning social morality – corruption, non-transparent amassing of wealth, unemployment. The role of the Church, moreover, is to humanize democracy in the ethical sense, because every democracy is in danger of being reduced to bare procedure in which morality begins to be understood from an exclusively procedural aspect. Thus, ethical factors are necessary in society, operating not only institutionally but spontaneously, primarily through persons assembled on the basis of spiritual-ethical values. The potential of the official, hierarchical Church to affect the development of the society was addressed by the religious programming editor of Croatian Television, Father Ton?i Trstenjak. A contemporary person does not trust in either the learned nor the wealthy Church but, symbolically speaking, in the Church bearing wounds on its hands and feet, whose side is pierced, like that of Christ. We in Croatia must ask ourselves whether the contemporary person experiences the Church as that which was crucified for him, emphasized Father Trstenjak. Dr. Juraj Kolarić, a priest and professor of Church history at the Catholic Theological Faculty, participated in the discussion of this topic. Some believe that the official Church remains silent to avoid giving offense or to maintain its position. This misunderstanding probably arises from the fact that many, relying on their experience of the Church under communism, have become accustomed for the Church being contra. Today, the time has come for the Church to support individual values. Many are confused because the Church no longer points a finger at anyone, noted Dr. Kolarić.
All the participants agreed that the relationship of the believer to politics is a current and important question that cannot be exhausted by one round table discussion. What Croatia will look like tomorrow depends to a great extent on whether those who believe in God will exert an influence.