Original scientific paper
The Influences of Catholic Social Teaching in the New Political Climate of Croatia
Antun Šundalić
; Faculty of Law, University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Croatia is a country in which Christian (Catholic) tradition has taken deep roots. The new political structure has enabled the revival of the Catholic tradition not only at the level of human rights and freedoms but at the level of political activism as well (Christian-democractic parties). Christian values, important for the economic, political, cultural, and moral life, which have been advocated by the Catholic Church in its social teachings, are no longer marginalized in Croatia. On the other hand, liberal values of democratic capitalism of the West have also significantly increased in its sway over Croatian economy and politics.
Although the recent history of the relation between liberalism and Christianity does not give evidence of their mutual respect regarding freedom and democracy (but of a critical distance, rather), the reality of democratic capitalism (USA, for example) points to the necessity of establishing new relations. Croatia is a suitable space in which the relationship between the liberal and the Catholic values may change from the critical to the constructive distance.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
110679
URI
Publication date:
4.9.1995.
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