ZAGREB, April 26, 2019 - The Archdiocese of Zagreb on Thursday stated that it was not able to give permission to three union federations to collect signatures for their retirement referendum petition at the premises owned by this Catholic archdiocese, underlining that it does not take sides with anybody in this case.

Explaining its refusal to permit unionists to collect signatures outside its churches and other buildings it owns, the Archdiocese says that in the processes aimed at achieving goals through referenda, the Church makes its premises available to civic initiatives that have no other possibilities for accomplishment of the values which they and the Church advocate.

On the other hand, trade unions can act within the regulated relations within the political life in Croatia and can in "a regular way and with certain financial support" achieve their objectives, the Archdiocese says.

The archdiocese says that the topic of pension system is definitely extremely important for the Croatian society and believes that this matter should be looked at from a broader framework than the issue of statutory pension age.

The three union federations have launched their "67 is too much" campaign to call a referendum which would bring back the full retirement age to 65 as it was prior to the pension reform. The signature collection campaign will run from April 27 to May 11.

The initiative proposes that an insured person be entitled to old age pension upon reaching 65 years of age and having completed 15 years of qualifying periods and to early age pension with 60 years of age and 35 years of qualifying periods, reducing penalisation for early retirement from 0.3% to 0.2%, and delaying the equation of the required pension age for men and women.

More news about referendums can be found in the Politics section.

Through books about Harry Potter, "the society is again being penetrated by forces that Christianity has already overcome" and which want to destroy "a distance towards magic and occultism" among younger generations, claims the analysis which university student chaplain Damir Stojić offered in response to the question of whether reading such books is a sin. The discussion took place at the bitno.net website, and Stojić quoted some of the thoughts by German sociologist Gabriele Kuby, whose books about contemporary social trends and cultural phenomena have apparently impressed him, reports Telegram.hr on April 25, 2019.

Stojić responded to a reader who was concerned about the adverse consequences of the books about the young wizard. He quoted ten points with which Kuby allegedly proves that Harry Potter is harmful. Stojić mentions "the closed world of violence and horror, of curses and enchanting, of racist ideology, blood victims, abhorrence and obsession." According to the original author and Stojić, the divine symbols are perverted in these books, and the human world is degraded in favour of witches and wizards. They also quote many other adverse consequences of reading one of the most popular series of books aimed at young readers that emerged in the last several decades.

After supporting his views with Mrs Kuby's arguments, Stojić admits that there are positive things in the Harry Potter books as well, but he insists that what prevails is “sympathising with the occult, the denial of faith, and the relativisation of morals." Not all books of this kind are harmful, the student chaplain admits, and praises some other fantasy worlds, such as "Narnia" and "Lord of the Rings", which are "in line with the Christian worldview." However, one should be cautious with such books, video games and other media that convey similar messages, claims Stojić, and introducing these books into schools cannot be tolerated. Moreover, parents should refuse to allow their children to be exposed to Harry Potter.

By launching his crusade against Harry Potter, Stojić has temporarily abandoned his struggle against pornography and the immorality, which were lately the main topics of his efforts. For example, in one lecture to students, he told an anecdote about a woman who had permanently lost her period after she caught her father watching pornography. In the second part of the lecture, he shared a lesson with women in the audience, telling them that they should dress more modestly because that is apparently exactly what men want.

Translated from Telegram.hr (reported by Vedran Vrabec).

More news about the Catholic Church in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 21, 2019 - The Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, led Easter Sunday Mass at St Stephen's Cathedral in Zagreb, saying that people today needed the strength of determination and wishing everyone was always accompanied by the joy of Easter.

Among those attending were Apostolic Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and his ministers, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and MPs.

In his homily, Cardinal Bozanić referred to the shipyard workers in Pula and Rijeka who "have been coming to work for months without being paid," noting that this was happening in a part of the country that was described as most developed.

"How is this possible? Politicians, both local and those at the highest level, are certainly aware of this. Problems that have been long kept under the carpet in the interest of power-wielders need to be dealt with, but it is the little man that gets hurt in such games and calculations," Bozanić said, urging those in charge not to lose sight of the unprotected little man in addressing difficult issues.

He called for prayer for the victims of war and destruction, for peace in the world, for the sick and abandoned, for the lonely, for those troubled by various physical and spiritual hardships, and especially for young people to be ensured a decent future, wishing everyone a blessed Easter.

Easter was celebrated throughout the country as well as in Croatian communities in neighbouring countries and elsewhere.

More news about Easter can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, April 20 (Hina) - The president of the Croatian Bishop Conference (HBK), Zadar Archbishop Želimir Puljić, has sent messages wishing a happy Easter to President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, urging them to promote kindness, understanding and solidarity among people and nations.

"I use this opportunity to extend best wishes for Easter, the resurrection of Christ, which is the source of human hope and the strength and joy of the Church...The resurrected Christ is calling on us to promote kindness, understanding and solidarity among people and nation. And we must continue doing that despite temptation and numerous obstacles," Puljić said in his message.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković issued a message on Saturday, wishing a happy Easter to all Christian believers in Croatia.

Stressing that Easter is the foundation of the Christian faith, Jandroković said it was also urging people to promote unity and show care for those in need, as it was the only way to find justice, development, true freedom, peace and happiness.

More Easter news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, April 4, 2019 - A lecture given by convicted war criminal Dario Kordić to students in Zagreb earlier this week has met with criticism and condemnation from activists in Zagreb and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Party of Democratic Action (SDA), and when asked for a comment, Public Administration Minister Lovro Kuščević said on Thursday that Kordić had served his prison term for war crimes committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"There is a legal rule saying that no one has the right to judge a person for committing a crime after they have served a prison term for it,” Kuščević told reporters before a cabinet meeting.

"Kordić made his contribution to the war, and he obviously made mistakes. He served his time for the mistakes he made," Kuščević said.

Education and Science Minister Blaženka Divjak said that, having served his sentence, Kordić was rehabilitated in legal terms. "However, a message is sent not only through words but also through what someone does through their whole life," Divjak said, calling for more caution in such cases.

Kordić, a Bosnian Croat wartime official who was sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to 25 years in prison for war crimes against Bosniaks in central Bosnia, was released in 2014 after serving two-thirds of his prison term. In 2001, the trial chamber found him guilty of war crimes, including the Ahmići massacre and atrocities in the Lašva valley, giving him 25 years. The appeals chamber upheld the ruling in December 2004. On 8 June 2006, Kordić was transferred to Austria to serve his sentence there. He and another nine Bosnian Croat political and military officials surrendered to the ICTY on 6 October 1997, and the time he spent in detention was credited to his sentence.

His lecture in a Zagreb student dormitory was organised by student chaplain Damir Stojić. Kordić's speech was interrupted by a group of students who booed him shouting that he was a war criminal.

More news about war crimes can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 22, 2019 - The president of the Austrian Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, said on Friday Austria and Croatia should jointly deal with the historical issue of Bleiburg. "I think we need a culture of dealing with history," the Archbishop of Vienna said after a meeting of the country's Bishops' Conference.

The cardinal said it would be good to form a joint commission that would deal with Bleiburg's "complicated history." "I think we need something like that, otherwise we will stay at the level of conflict," he added.

He concluded that for now Austria saw only a "fascist gathering" occurring at Bleiburg, while Croatia's focus was on the painful history of ancestors, the Austrian news agency APA said. "Bleiburg symbolises a very painful period in the history of the Croatian people, with many thousands dead," he said.

The cardinal concluded that a systematic dealing with this issue would prevent "certain groups" from instrumentalising it.

He confirmed that the Gurk-Klagenfurt Diocese had turned down a request by the Croatian Bishops' Conference (HGK) to hold a commemorative service at Loibach field near Bleiburg, but said "people can't be banned from coming to Bleiburg" and that the ban referred only to the Mass.

The Gurk-Klagenfurt Diocese recently denied permission for this year's Mass in the Loibach field as part of a ceremony commemorating members of Nazi-allied Croatian forces killed there at the end of World War II.

The Bleiburg commemorations are held in tribute to tens of thousands of Croatian civilians and soldiers of the defeated pro-Nazi Independent State of Croatia (NDH) who surrendered to allied forces there in May 1945, but were handed over by British troops to Yugoslav forces. Many were executed on the spot, while many perished during so-called death marches back to Yugoslavia.

The Roman Catholic Church in Carinthia turned down the HBK's request to hold Mass at Loibach, claiming the event was used for political purposes.

"The Mass held in the field near Bleiburg has become part of an event that is used for political purposes and is part of a political and national ritual that serves for the selective perception and interpretation of history," according to a statement signed by the secretary of the Gurk-Klagenfurt Diocese, Msgr. Engelbert Guggenberger.

More news on the Bleiburg issue can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 11, 2019 - The Catholic Church in the southern Austrian region of Carinthia has no intention of getting into a debate with the Croatian Bishops Conference over the denial of permission for this year's Mass in Loibach near Bleiburg, the Gurk-Klagenfurt Dioecese said on Monday.

"We will not react to the reaction and will not get into a ping pong with statements. We will not react to the reaction of the Croatian Bishops Conference to the denial of permission to celebrate a Holy Mass as part of the commemoration at Bleiburg," spokesman for the Gurk-Klagenfurt Diocese Matthias Kapeller told Hina.

He said that the Catholic Church of Carinthia had nothing more to add to its statement of last week, noting that they were surprised by the tone of the statement by the Croatian Bishops' Conference (HBK).

"There were also different reactions from the HBK's. I would not describe them as positive, but they were certainly different," Kapeller said.

Asked if despite the ban a memorial service could still be held in the Loibach field, Kapeller said: "It is a private property and in Austria anyone can invite a priest to say a Mass on their private property."

Austrian news agency APA said that the Mass ban concerned only senior clergy such as bishops while a private liturgy could not be banned.

The Catholic Church of Carinthia, or rather the Gurk-Klagenfurt Diocese, on Friday denied permission for this year's Mass in the Loibach field near Bleiburg as part of a ceremony commemorating members of Nazi-allied Croatian forces killed there at the end of World War II.

"If permission for Mass were granted, the overall perception of the event could rightfully be used as a basis to accuse the Catholic Church of Carinthia of instrumentalising a religious service for political purposes and not distancing itself from the Fascist worldview," the diocese said in a statement on Friday.

The Bleiburg commemorations are held in tribute to tens of thousands of Croatian civilians and soldiers of the defeated pro-Nazi Independent State of Croatia (NDH) who surrendered to allied forces there in May 1945, but were handed over by British troops to Yugoslav forces. Many were executed on the spot, while many perished during so-called death marches back to Yugoslavia.

Asked by reporters in Zagreb to comment on the Mass ban, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that the matter was on the agenda of the Croatian Bishops Conference, the Gurk-Klagenfurt Dioece and the Austrian Bishops' Conference. "This is a matter for the two churches. If there's anything we can do to help, we are willing to do so," Plenković said. He added that the idea floated by "far-right circles" that the Croatian government and he himself had lobbied for the ban was malicious. He declined to say whether the Croatian Embassy in Austria had done enough to prevent such a development.

More news on the Bleiburg ban can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 10, 2019 - Following a decision of the Roman Catholic Church in the Austrian federal state of Carinthia to withhold permission for a mass at Loibach, a field near Bleiburg in May this year, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said on Saturday that she could not interfere in the relations between the authorities of the Catholic Church, however, being a Croat and a Catholic believer, she deeply regretted for such decision of the Gurk-Klagenfurt Diocese.

The president also expressed her confidence that the Croatian Bishops' Conference will find a solution enabling Catholic faithful to commemorate at religious service the victims killed in the Loibach field and Bleiburg and death marches in the wake of the Second World War.

The Croatian Bishops Conference (HBK) already expressed its deep disagreement with the decision by the Roman Catholic Church in Carinthia to reject permission for this year's memorial mass at Loibach.

The HBK believes that "not allowing the possibility to pray for the victims of that great tragedy of the Croat people means disrespect for the victims and lack of sensitivity for the suffering of the innocent", dismissing the reasons for the refusal of permission in their entirety.

The Bleiburg commemorations are held in tribute to tens of thousands of Croatian civilians and soldiers of the defeated Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia who surrendered to allied forces there in May 1945, but were handed over by British troops to Yugoslav forces. Many were executed on the spot, while many perished during so-called death marches back to Yugoslavia.

The Roman Catholic Church in Carinthia has turned down the HBK's request to hold a mass at Loibach because the event is used for political purposes, the local church said on Friday.

"The mass held in the field near Bleiburg has become part of an event that is used for political purposes and is part of a political and national ritual that serves for the selective perception and interpretation of history," reads a statement signed by the secretary of the Klagenfurt Diocese, Msgr. Engelbert Guggenberger.

More news about the Bleiburg commemorations can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 9, 2019 - Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković has told reporters he fully supported a statement by the Croatian Bishops Conference (HBK) which expressed its deep disagreement with the decision by the Roman Catholic Church in the Austrian federal state of Carinthia to withhold permission for this year's memorial mass at Loibach, a field near Bleiburg.

The Croatian Bishops Conference believes that "not allowing the possibility to pray for the victims of that great tragedy of the Croat people means disrespect for the victims and lack of sensitivity for the suffering of the innocent," dismissing the reasons for the decision in their entirety.

I fully support the HBK statement, Jandroković told reporters on Friday evening in the central Croatian town of Gospić where the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) held an election rally for the Lika-Senj County Assembly.

Vladimir Šeks of the HDZ also addressed reporters in Gospić on Friday evening, saying that the Organisation Committee of the Honorary Bleiburg Platoon, the Croatian parliament under whose auspices the event is held, and the Austrian regional government had already taken all steps to prevent any display of Ustasha insignia at the commemoration in Bleiburg.

The Bleiburg commemorations are held in tribute to tens of thousands of Croatian civilians and soldiers of the defeated Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia who surrendered to allied forces there in May 1945, but were handed over by British troops to Yugoslav forces. Many were executed on the spot, while many perished during so-called death marches back to Yugoslavia.

The secretary of the Klagenfurt Diocese, Msgr. Guggenberger, said that the mass held in the field near Bleiburg "has become part of an event that is used for political purposes and is part of a political and national ritual that serves for the selective perception and interpretation of history."

In a statement that explains the decision not to grant permission for the religious service, planned for May 18 this year, the Catholic Church in Carinthia says that the decision was made after a thorough analysis of the 2018 gathering at Bleiburg as well as numerous conversations between representatives of the Austrian and Croatian bishops conferences, which also included believers of the Croat community in Carinthia and representatives of Austrian security authorities.

Even though the Bleiburg gathering is held on a private property, holding a religious service there requires permission from the local church.

Since last year Austria has been treating the Bleiburg commemoration more critically, at the initiative of several Austrian members of the European Parliament. Recently, a law went into force banning the display of Ustasha symbols, dating back to the time of the NDH.

More news on the Bleiburg commemorations can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 9, 2019 - The Croatian Bishops Conference (HBK) on Friday expressed its deep disagreement with the decision by the Roman Catholic Church in the Austrian federal state of Carinthia to withhold permission for this year's memorial mass at Loibach, a field near Bleiburg, dismissing the reasons for the decision in their entirety.

"The secretary of the Gurk Klagenfurt Diocese, Msgr Engelbert Guggenberger, has decided not to allow this year's memorial mass in the Bleiburg field. The Croatian Bishops Conference regrets that decision and expresses its deep disagreement with the reasons he stated and dismisses them in their entirety," the HBK Press Office said in a statement.

It believes that "not allowing the possibility to pray for the victims of that great tragedy of the Croat people means disrespect for the victims and lack of sensitivity for the suffering of the innocent."

The HBK recalls that its representatives and representatives of the Austrian Bishops Conference conducted talks on the commemoration of the Bleiburg tragedy on several occasions. The HBK also says that it joined activities to hold masses in Bleiburg in 2003. "In all previous years, notably in 2018, the Eucharist was celebrated in dignity as befits the Church's most dignified prayer," the HBK says in its statement.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković has been informed of the news that the Roman Catholic Church in Carinthia has rejected the HBK's request to hold a religious service at Bleiburg, and since the Bleiburg commemoration is held under the parliament's auspices, he plans first to hold talks with the organisers of the event and then decide how to proceed and coordinate future actions.

According to sources close to Jandroković, talks will first be held with the Honorary Bleiburg Platoon and the HBK, which are the organisers of the commemoration, after which a decision will be made as to what to do next.

According to unofficial reports, the Honorary Bleiburg Platoon met on Friday to discuss the matter.

Foreign and European Affairs Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić would not comment today on the decision of the Catholic Church in Austria either, saying only that a mass was the most appropriate way to commemorate victims of World War II.

The Bleiburg commemorations are held in tribute to tens of thousands of Croatian civilians and soldiers of the defeated Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia who surrendered to allied forces there in May 1945, but were handed over by British troops to Yugoslav forces. Many were executed on the spot, while many perished during so-called death marches back to Yugoslavia.

"One should not comment on other countries' actions... for us Bleiburg is a place of remembrance and commemoration of the victims," Pejčinović Burić told reporters.

The secretary of the Klagenfurt Diocese, Msgr. Guggenberger, said that the mass held in the field near Bleiburg "has become part of an event that is used for political purposes and is part of a political and national ritual that serves for the selective perception and interpretation of history."

In a statement that explains the decision not to grant permission for the religious service, planned for May 18 this year, the Catholic Church in Carinthia says that the decision was made after a thorough analysis of the 2018 gathering at Bleiburg as well as numerous conversations between representatives of the Austrian and Croatian bishops conferences, which also included believers of the Croat community in Carinthia and representatives of Austrian security authorities.

Even though the Bleiburg gathering is held on a private property, holding a religious service there requires permission from the local church.

Since last year Austria has been treating the Bleiburg commemoration more critically, at the initiative of several Austrian members of the European Parliament. Recently, a law went into force banning the display of Ustasha symbols, dating back to the time of the NDH.

More news on the Bleiburg commemorations can be found in the Politics section.