Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 86 No. 1, 2016.
Original scientific paper
The Position and Activity of the Catholic Faculty of Theology within the University of Zagreb. The Twentieth Anniversary of Signing the Contract
Matija Berljak
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of signing the Contract on the Position and Activity of the Catholic Faculty of Theology within the University of Zagreb the author provides a small contribution to better understanding of the rich, dear, but also turbulent history and present of the Catholic Faculty of Theology of the University of Zagreb. In any case, the history and present of the Theological Faculty is also a part of the history and present of the University, while also being more than
just that. In this discussion the author will present this significant event for the Catholic Faculty of Theology and the University of Zagreb, for the Church and Croatian people, on the basis of archive material and scarce literature. The author felt the need to first analyse, at least in a preliminary fashion, the tradition of theological education and science among Croatians until founding of the modern University of Zagreb in 1874. This was followed by a period in which theological science and teaching was blooming because they could develop and advance better
within the frame of the modern University. The Catholic Faculty of Theology was within the composition of the University of Zagreb since its very beginning. This happy period lasted until after the Second World War when problems with the Communist regime started, which culminated in 1952. In that year, the Roman-Catholic Faculty of Theology was »disbanded« or, better yet, »separated« from the University of Zagreb by the Decree of the Government of the People´s Republic of Croatia. Thus, the Faculty lost all rights that were enjoyed by all other constituents of the University. However, after the democratic changes in Croatia in 1990, the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia annulled the aforementioned Decree, which made the signing of the Contract possible. The Contract has come into force when it has been signed by the Rector of the University of Zagreb and the Dean of the Catholic Faculty of Theology, with the approval of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Conference of Bishops that received earlier the approval of the Holy See. This happened on the Day of the Faculty on March 11, 1996. The Contract has been signed by the Dean of the Catholic Faculty of Theology, prof. Franjo Šanjek (PhD) and the Rector of the University of Zagreb, prof. Marijan Šunjić, while the Great Chancellor of the Faculty, Zagreb´s Archbishop Franjo Card. Kuharić (for the Croatian Conference of Bishops) and Academician Vlatko Pavletić (as the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Croatia) approved its articles by their signature.
Keywords
Catholic Faculty of Theology; University of Zagreb; the Contract; twentieth anniversary; abolition; secession; annulment; position and activity
Hrčak ID:
158534
URI
Publication date:
25.5.2016.
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