Zagreb, October 18, 2000 (IKA) — “The Church in Croatia and Contemporary Turmoil” is the title of a lecture delivered yesterday, October 17, at the monastery of St. Francis Xavier by Dr. Marijan Valković, a professor of social sciences at the Catholic Theological College in Zagreb, within the framework of a program held in memory of the late Bishop Srećko Badurina of Šibenik. “According to studies, 87% of the Croats declare themselves as Catholics, but when we analyze this, there are 25% practicing Catholics and 50% are nonpracticing. Approximately 60% of the believers go to confession at least once a year. However, we have 17% or 18% of those who say that they are not at all religious but that they are Catholics. It is obvious that for them Catholicism is a cultural or national attribute,” stated the lecturer. Speaking about the life of the Church in Croatia, Dr. Valković noted that it is to a great extent ceremonial, sacramental and even clerical and that customs, popular celebrations and devotions are very well developed. “The nucleus of practical Catholics in Croatia is comprised of older people, the poor, women, the faithful in villages, and educated people are represented to a lesser extent. There are intellectuals who are Catholics but there is little difference between their religious education and that of ordinary folk,” asserted the lecturer, adding that taken as a whole, the laity is not active in the Church. Dr. Valković cautioned that in the area of morality, there is a deficiency in social ethics. “According to our questionnaire, nearly 10% of the subjects expressly consider graft to be permissible, while another 16% generally approve of it. Forty-four percent of college students generally approve of graft, and these are our future intellectuals,” concluded the lecturer. According to him, there is an institutional vacuum in the Church, “we do not know how to organize, we frequently improvise, and lack financial assets and people”. “Alternative forms of religiosity have begun to spread. Church attendance is declining but religious sentiments remain. Catholics recognize the Pope and bishops but regarding religious truths they are fairly selective. It is interesting that among Catholics we have 15% who believe in reincarnation,” said Dr. Valković.