Original scientific paper

The (Non)threat to Croatian Christian and Ecclesial Roots in the European Union?

Josip Grbac ; Theology in Rijeka, Dislocated Studies of Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia

Abstract

Christian and ecclesial roots that shaped the ethos of the Croatian people throughout history to this day can be observed at several levels. The first level concerns the personal awareness of the majority of Croatian citizens who have lived their religiousness, their membership in the Church, and congruous Christian morals, in spite of the challenges of the times. The second level of Christian and Church roots are those derived forms of life that have taken roots in tradition, culture, art, and folklore. The third level is structural, that is, the one that concerns vivifying the personal religious and ethical principles of the individual in social structures and the community, starting from the family and on to the wider community and to the highest governmental levels of the state. These Christian and Church roots in Croatia will experience major changes once Croatia joins the European Union. However, this does not necessarily mean that they will be threatened. The problem of (non)threat to Christian roots does not concern only and primarily the preservation of the »Christian soul« in Croatian citizens. On the first level, this »soul« has already entered the process of its demise due to the processes of globalisation which have had impact on Croatian society. There are numerous examples of this in, for example, the way the faith is practiced as a cult as well as in personal morals. Similarly, one should not expect that the Christian roots observed at the second level will be damaged. These forms of religiousness in tradition, culture and folklore that have become through passage of time almost mythological, will surely be weakened but this does not need to be seen as a danger to the lives of Croatian citizens, their religiousness and their Church. The problem consists mainly in detecting whether there is a threat to those Christian and Church roots which have been historically inbuilt into some fundamental structures of Croatian society and that have inspired good decisions on the political, economic, social and cultural level. In other words, the key issue concerning the (non)threat is related to the problem whether religious roots of the awareness of Croatian citizens within the European Union will be sufficiently strong to have an impact on the structure of society and the state, and its legislation, policies and economy. It would be worthwhile, for example, to reflect on the possibility of a threat to Christian roots in the field of social welfare and if that issue will become merely a matter of financing, while no attention will be paid to the principle of solidarity, which is constitutive of the foundations of Christian social policy. The new situation will surely impact relations between the religious and the national identity. However, one can expect that joining the Union could improve social solidarity and other social values in Croatia, such as tolerance, transparency, subsidiarity and also the development of public opinion in the Church. Finally, it is important to point out that Croatia's accession to the EU could offer major pastoral benefits for our homeland Church at various levels of its activities.

Keywords

Christian and Church roots; (non)threat; European Union; identity; xenophobia; solidarity; subsidiarity; social values; bio-ethics; Church in Croatia

Hrčak ID:

96161

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/96161

Publication date:

29.1.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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