Posted on 01/23/2016 6:59:24 PM PST by ebb tide
The Stepinac Case "We are afraid that there are too many open questions and wounds which Cardinal Stepinac symbolizes. His canonization, to our great regret, would return the relations between Serbs and Croats, as well as between Catholics and Orthodox faithful, back to their tragic history... We ask you to remove the question of the canonization of Cardinal Stepinac from the agenda, and to leave it to the infallible judgment of God."--Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej, in a 2015 letter to Pope Francis
"Both Catholic and Orthodox priests were persecuted under communism, and therefore the Catholic Church can consider Stepinac to be a martyr, but before he is declared a saint we should see why he was silent when so many crimes were committed in the Second World War."--Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, in a meeting with Pope Francis in Rome in September 2015
"I agree with the remonstrance that Stepinac did not do everything. Who can say that he has done everything in his life? This can only be said by the One, who on the cross uttered 'It is finished.' Every other person is limited and sinful."--Croatian Catholic Archbishop Marin Barišić of Split-Makarska, in an interview yesterday on the proposed canonization of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac; the canonization has been opposed by Serbian Orthodox
"The cardinal is a saint, the Pope (Francis) is keeping his canonization in pectore ["in his breast," i.e., in secret] and intends to declare it to everyone loudly and clearly when certain problems, controversial for some, are resolved."--Archbishop Barišić, in the same interview
Can Catholics and Orthodox Agree on the Life and Work of Cardinal Stepinac?
An important story on Catholic-Orthodox relations is playing out on the margins of the public discourse of most of the West, as it is being followed primarily by those with a special interest in the history of the former Yugoslavia (in this case, of Croatia and Serbia).
It is the question of the canonization of Blessed Cardinal Aloysius Viktor Stepinac (1898-1960), the Croatian Catholic Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 until his death in 1960. These years included the rule of the Croatian Ustaše over the State of Croatia from 1941 to 1945, during World War II.
The story is important because Pope Francis, at the request of the Serbian Orthodox, has created a commission to study the life and work of Stepinac, in order to come to a better mutual understanding of Stepinac's words and actions.
If this commission can produce good fruits, it will be a remarkable witness to the possibility of better Catholic-Orthodox relations.
(Photo of Blessed Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac, died 1960)
Stepinac's Life Story
After serving as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army on the Italian Front during World War I, Stepinac was ordained in 1930, and in 1931 became liturgical master of ceremonies to the Archbishop of Zagreb.
He established the archdiocesan branch of the charity Caritas later that year, and was appointed coadjutor bishop to the see of Zagreb in 1934.
When Archbishop Antun Bauer died on December 7, 1937, Stepinac succeeded him as the Archbishop of Zagreb.
During World War II, on 6 April 1941, the Germans invaded Yugoslavia and established the Ustaše-led government.
As archbishop of the puppet state's capital, Stepinac had close associations with the Ustaše leaders during the German occupation.
However, despite initially welcoming the Independent State of Croatia, Stepinac subsequently condemned the Germany-aligned state's atrocities against Jews and Serbs.
He objected to the persecution of Jews, helped Jews and others to escape, and criticized Ustaše atrocities in front of Zagreb Cathedral in 1943.
Despite this, Stepinac never broke publicly with the Ustaše regime.
After the war, he publicly condemned the new Yugoslav government and its actions during World War II, especially the murders of priests by Communist militants.
Yugoslav authorities indicted the archbishop on multiple counts of war crimes and collaboration with the enemy during wartime.
The trial was depicted in the West as a typical communist "show trial."
The Yugoslav authorities found him guilty on the charge of high treason (for collaboration with the fascist Ustaše regime), as well as complicity in the forced conversions of Orthodox Serbs to Catholicism.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison, but was released to house arrest after five, with his movements confined to his home parish of Krašić.
In 1952, he was appointed cardinal by Pope Pius XII, but he was unable to participate in the 1958 conclave.
Stepinac died of polycythemia in 1960 while still under confinement in his parish.
On October 3, 1998, Pope John Paul II declared him a martyr and beatified him before 500,000 Croatians in Marija Bistrica near Zagreb.
As with the case of Pope Pius XII's canonization being delayed due to pressure from the Jews and Catholic ecumaniacs, we now see another post-conciliar pope yielding to the demands of the Orthodox regarding whom the Catholic Church can raise to the altar of God.
Three Sermons Against Racism by Archbishop Stepinac
http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/stepinac-sermans(n).htm
http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/croatia(n)-1.htm
That’s not unusual. Pope Pius IX — who served for more than 30 years from 1846-1878 (I believe he was the longest-serving pope in history) — still hasn’t been canonized. His case has been opened and closed a number of times, largely for political reasons. He wasn’t beatified until 2000.
The two pieces of the Church might not actually want to COORDINATE huh?
If this saint IS living in heaven AND everything ascribed by the Roman Catholic church to saints is possible... would either HE or JESUS want to push it without even the Orthodox agreement? (And contrariwise, can the Orthodox forgive?)
This sounds like churches full of themselves, not full of God.
Where’d you come up with “two pieces”?
Maybe they SHOULD be maniacs about ecumenism.
This is what the first steps of reuniting would look like.
Folks are going to have to eat their prides.
Oh, I forgot. Your church is the dog that wags all the tails. My bad. /s
Why don't you take the first bite? You might like the flavor.
I did, long ago. That is how I can see your pride so clearly.
And I mean it. Both Catholic and Orthodox are so notoriously churches of huffiness.
We poor evangelical splinters would kind of wish you would get the parade going.
The Serbs need to butt out. Stepinac wasn’t Orthodox and we aren’t Catholics. If the Pope chooses to canonize this monster it’s none of our business.
The most likely reunification on the horizon would be an Orthodox-Coptic one. The Orthodox-Rome division Is pretty wide.
Agreed
And it’s none of our business has to many wives the Orthodox allow.
But it may be soon, if Papa Tango goes into override.
Good one, et.
"evangelical splinters"?? That sounds like a great call sign for you..."es" for short.
Ecumenism has made the Church weak...and the non-Catholics know this and use it.
What makes Stepinac a monster?
“The Serbs need to butt out. Stepinac wasn’t Orthodox and we aren’t Catholics. If the Pope chooses to canonize this monster it’s none of our business.”
Agreed; it’s not our business to tell the Latins what to do. God willing, they will return the favor.
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