Review article
Archbishop of Zagreb Dr. Antun Bauer's ecclesial letters during World War I
Domagoj Sremić
; High School Sisak, Sisak, Croatia
Abstract
The first years of service of Antun Bauer, the Archbishop of Zagreb, were marked by the start of World War I, which brought about profound changes in the Croatian society within the already visibly degenerating Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Gradually rising in the hierarchy of the Church of Zagreb, he became the Archbishop of Zagreb upon the death of the former Archbishop Juraj Posilović on 26 April 1914. The hardship of the wartime years made the presiding over the fifth largest diocese in the Roman Catholic Church an arduous endeavor. His profound faith and sincere devoutness – explicitly stated even on his gravestone (Fides vincit) – were the leitmotifs of his every action. In this paper an analysis and synthesis of the original anti-war ecclesial letters from the Archbishop’s personal diary is given as a chronology of paradigmatically formulated peacemaking efforts with the goal of building up the sensitivity to the wartime hardships that have to some extent befallen both Zagreb and the Archdiocese of Zagreb. Bauer’s ecclesial letters, circular letters and sermons, which demonstrated the religious care of the local Church for the state and the people, have enhanced both his charisma and his reputation in the tumultuous times of a worldwide conflict.
Keywords
Dr. Antun Bauer; Archbishop of Zagreb; World War I; Archdiocese of Zagreb; ecclesial letters; sermons
Hrčak ID:
150065
URI
Publication date:
28.12.2015.
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