Original scientific paper
From Trebnje to the Execution Site. Fr. Josip Müller SJ (1883–1945)
Valentin Miklobušec
orcid.org/0000-0003-2394-8083
; The Archive of the Croatian Province of the Society of Jesus, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The Jesuit Fr. Josip Müller was a notable victim of Communist–inflicted terror, which pevailed in post–war Croatia in particular and which was carried out to strengthen their position of power. Through their secret service agencies they brought before the Courts Martial imprisoned members of the defeated army and civil servants of the toppled regime, but also those who stood out for their humane activities even when these activities benefited convicted Communists. Humanists of this kind became undesirable to the new government because they could potentially plead for »mercy« at fraudulent show trials on behalf of convicted persons. Fr. Müller was among these humanists and he, as prison chaplain, saved from certain death a Communist agent caught amid the ranks of the Croatian army. Immediately after the war, this very same agent lured him into a trap by manipulating his feelings of compassion, owing to which the agent had previously obtained help for himself, to now save those who feared for their lives under the Communist regime. Moreover, it was precisely for this reason that the Communist Court–Martial sentenced him to death. He was shot and buried, date and burial location unknown.
Keywords
Trebinje; Senj High School student; novitiate; chapel builder; courthouse; Perković; Pureti
Hrčak ID:
123112
URI
Publication date:
24.6.2014.
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