Original scientific paper
Taking Away of Property of the Association of Sister of Mercy of St Vinko Paulski in Croatia By the Communist Regime
Miroslav Akmadža
; Faculty of Philosophy, J. J. Strossmayer University Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Kornelija Marks
; Faculty of Philosophy, J. J. Strossmayer University Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
The Association of Sisters of Mercy of St Vinko Paulski had significant assets, both in land property and in monastery and in other buildings. Since the communist regime tried to weaken the Catholic Church in material way, believing it would weaken it in any other way, the strike of regime also hit the assets of the Association of Sisters of Mercy. The Association was especially hit by the agricultural reform according to the Law on Agricultural Reform and Colonization from 1945. With the agricultural reform, the Association lost hundreds of hectares of farming land which the nuns obtained and farmed themselves. Although the agricultural reform was conducted under the parole "the land belongs to the one who farms it", nuns lost their land which they were farming themselves. The assets of the Associations were also taken according to the Basic Law on Expropriation and Laws on Nationalization from 1946 and 1948. By these laws the Association lost their schools and hospital all over the country. Later the nuns were given the chance to work in hospitals which were helping the ill people for decades with small or no financial compensation. The final strike, materially, hit the Association by enforcing the Law on Nationalization of Renting Buildings and Construction Sites, when they loose a significant part of their monastery buildings, although the Law meant that there will be no nationalization of buildings which are used for religious purposes, and monasteries certainly belong to that category. Regardless of hard material losses, the Association managed to overcome the whole period of communist power and perform their religious mission with the help of religious authorities and believers.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
79616
URI
Publication date:
9.10.2008.
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