Review article
https://doi.org/10.53745/ccp.48.93.5
The Second Vatican Council and Church-State Relations in the Socialist Republic of Croatia
Danica Marčeta
Abstract
The Second Vatican Council, the twenty-first in the history of the Church, was held in the Vatican from October 11, 1962, to December 8, 1965. The Council was convened and opened by Pope John XXIII, and after his death on June 3, 1963, it was continued by Pope Paul VI. The Council produced 16 documents of varying importance, which as a whole constitute a comprehensive and far-reaching set of ideas, guidelines, and inspirations. Four major foundational documents, called constitutions, were adopted, along with nine decrees and three declarations. Bishops from around the world participated in the Council, including bishops from Yugoslavia, who, after a long period of isolation, were able to leave the country and visit Rome. During the Council, there were numerous contacts between representatives of the authorities and priests and bishops in Yugoslavia, as well as with representatives of the Holy See. The Yugoslav authorities showed great interest in the work of the Council, as well as in the pontificates of John XXIII and Paul VI. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the circumstances that led to the possibility of bishops attending the Council, as well as the attitudes of the authorities toward the Council and the monitoring of the Council in Yugoslavia, as reflected in the documents of the Commission for Relations with Religious Communities. The research is based on archival material from the Commission for Relations with Religious Communities of the Executive Council of the Parliament of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, which is preserved in the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb.
Keywords
Second Vatican Council, John XXIII; Paul VI; Catholic Church; Yugoslavia; Commission for Relations with Religious Communities.
Hrčak ID:
320530
URI
Publication date:
6.9.2024.
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