Izvorni znanstveni članak
Religious processions and pilgrimages in the Đakovo or Bosnia and Srijem Diocese in the Light of the Relations between the Church and the State from 1945 to 1960
Slađana Josipović Batorek
; Filozofski fakultet, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Within the circumstances of very tensed relations between the Church and the state in Yugoslavia after 1945, the question of religious liberties and free expression of religious sentiments constituted one of the most important issues for the Catholic Church. On the other side, the representatives of secular authority have awarded great attention to the control of external forms of religious practices and ceremonies and on the basis of collected information on the activity of population in various Church festivities assessed social influence of Catholic Church. The manner how the communist authorities treated religious practice of the Catholics in the area of Đakovo and Srijem diocese is evident the best on the example of various processions and pilgrimages held there, which were, as one of the most significant forms of popular religiosity by the mass participation of believers represented also a sort of a social event. In that light, the holding of such manifestations greatly depended on current socio-political circumstances, which were in the communist period highly unfavourable to such forms of public and massive expressions of religious and ideological sentiments. The information given in this article shows clear evidence of extremely limited religious liberties in the area of Đakovo and Srijem diocese. The attitude of communist authorities towards religious processions and pilgrimages was highly intolerant, although government persistently rejected and negated accusations that the Catholic Church and its followers in Yugoslavia were endangered. In its defence, the government often emphasized various legal documents, first of all the Constitution and the Law on legal position of religious communities, which in theory guaranteed wide religious liberties and equality of all citizens, but in practice, the Catholic Church and its believers were rarely in the position of achieving rights guaranteed by these laws. For holding religious processions and pilgrimages a determining factor was frequently the attitude of local authorities, which often arbitrarily interpreted and enforced the laws, mostly to the detriment of believers and clergy. In those circumstances a centuries-long tradition on holding various pilgrimages and processions in the area of Đakovo and Srijem diocese was reduced to a minimum.
Ključne riječi
religious practices; processions; pilgrimages; religious liberties; Đakovo and Srijem diocese; Socialist Republic of Croatia
Hrčak ID:
105330
URI
Datum izdavanja:
8.7.2013.
Posjeta: 1.217 *