Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 75 No. 1, 2005.
Original scientific paper
The Church and Formation in Croatia. Resarch for the European Comparative Studies
Alojzije Hoblaj
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Nevenka Lončarić Jelačić
; Education and Teacher Training Agency, Zagreb, Croatia
Ružica Razum
orcid.org/0000-0002-8215-8404
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This article is the Croatian contribution to the European Comparative Studies that is being carried out in eleven other countries on the basis of a pilot project regarding the Church and formation in Europe in the framework of the project: Church - Society - State in Europe. Because of the comparative approach, all of the articles, including the Croatian one, follow the same structure of four parts. The first part contains general information that is important for understanding the Church and formation in Croatia: a summary of Church-State relations regarding formation and education, from the founding of the Croatian State to present; a denominational breakdown of the people and the contemporary phenomenon of de-christianization and the recent religious and church awakening. The second part discusses some legal and financing questions regarding formation and education, and all of the problems related to these questions. This refers to human rights, individual and corporate religious freedoms and Church-State relations on the level of the Constitution and legal code and in the framework of international treaties. In the critique there is an analysis of the extent in which the legal declarations are placed into practice. The third part deals with the Church's stand regarding its mission and outreach in the areas of formation and education and there is a theoretical and practical profile of the Catholic schools at all levels of the national system; In that context, on the basis of empirical research, the positive results and the most significant problems are identified. Furthermore, on the basis of empirical research there is an analysis of the conceptions oreligious formation and school religion, highlighting the results of its implementation and acceptance. Taking into consideration the problems that contemporary Croatia is facing, in the concluding fourth part, the article emphasizes the option of formation and education that flows from the nature of the Church. With this concluding answer the article returns to the fundamental question of this research: How does the dynamic (and problematic) cooperation of the Church-society-Croatian State offer possiblities for Church ministry in the area of formation and education.
Keywords
Church; Croatia; society; denominational; dialogue; ecumenism; religiousity; ecclesiality; secularization of Croatia; formation and education; Catholic school, preschool education, elementary school; secondary school; ecclesiastical universities; religion
Hrčak ID:
24695
URI
Publication date:
7.9.2005.
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