Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 95 No. 4, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.53745/bs.95.4.8
The Contribution of the Social Doctrine of the Church to the Realization of Synodality: The Social‑Evangelization Potential of Young Priests in the Church of Đakovo‑Osijek
Igor Jakobfi
orcid.org/0000-0003-0963-9778
; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Ivana Bendra
orcid.org/0000-0002-6592-1308
; r/ Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar – Regional Center Vukovar, Vukovar, Croatia
Abstract
The paper presents the results of a socio-ethical study aimed at determining the current state of the social-evangelization potential of young priests in the Church of Đakovo-Osijek. The research was conducted in the period from 30 January to 20 February 2025 on a purposive sample of young priests up to 35 years of age (N=14), seeking to answer the research question: What measures can be undertaken to foster the understanding and practice of faith in its social aspect among all believers of the Đakovo-Osijek Church, and, consequently, to support the realization of its synodality? The paper is divided into four parts. The first part introduces the inductive deductive method employed to conduct the research, whilst the second outlines the socio-ethical theoretical framework within which all three methodological steps of this approach were conducted. The third part presents the survey results which were evaluated from a socio-ethical perspective, in order to gain insight into the current utilization of the social-evangelization potential of young priests. The fourth part proposes practical pastoral guidelines for better utilization of their potential, thereby contributing to the understanding and practice of faith in a social aspect and to the realization of synodality within the Church of Đakovo-Osijek.
Keywords
priests, social dimension of faith; social-evangelization potential of priests; Church of Đakovo-Osijek; social doctrine of the Church synodality
Hrčak ID:
343731
URI
Publication date:
23.1.2026.
Visits: 631 *