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BOX-FOLDER-REPORT: 86-2-278
TITLE:             A Profite of Franjo Kuharic, the New Cardinal of Zagreb
BY:                Zdenko Antic
DATE:              1983-1-18
COUNTRY:           Yugoslavia
ORIGINAL SUBJECT:  RAD Background Report/10

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RADIO FREE EUROPE Research

RAD Background Report/10
(Yugoslavia)
18 January 1983

A PROFILE OF FRANJO KUHARIC, THE NEW CARDINAL OF ZAGREB
By Zdenko Antic

Summary: Dr. Franjo Kuharic, the Archbishop of Zagreb
and the President of Yugoslavia's Bishops' Conference,
has recently been elevated by Pope John Paul II to
the rank of cardinal. Dr. Kuharic had served for many
years as a parish priest in northern Croatia, and had
distinguished himself by his outstanding pastoral work.
As Archbishop of Zagreb he had revitalized Catholic
Church activities in many spheres, and had won high
esteem among the populace, particularly in Croatia.
Since in recent years he has repeatedly been attacked
by the communist press and officials, his new
appointment is certainly expected to strengthen his position,
which is likely, however, to become more delicate at
the same time.

* * *

This material was prepared for the use of the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

[page 2]

RAD BR/10
18 January 1983

Among the 18 new cardinals announced by Pope John Paul II is
Dr. Franjo Kuharic, the Archbishop of Zagreb and President of the
Yugoslav Bishops' Conference. Although expected, his nomination
was not at all certain. Since the last and the only Yugoslav
cardinal, Msgr.. Franjo Seper, died in Rome in December 1981, two
other prelates, in addition to Kuharic, have often been mentioned
as possible candidates for the red hat: a Slovenian, the 
Archbishop of Ljubljana, Alosius Sustar, and another Croat, the 
Archbishop of Split, Franjo Franic. [1] In recent years Kuharic has
often been the target of vitriolic press campaigns and of open
attacks by senior Croatian party officials, who accused him of
instigating and supporting Croatian nationalism under the guise of
religion. The fact that in spite of all this controversy the pope
has decided to appoint Kuharic as a cardinal demonstrates the
Vatican's determination not to bargain over basic issues.

A Fearless Shepherd

A graduate of the Theological Faculty of Zagreb University and
a brilliant preacher, Kuharic has distinguished himself during his
long ecclesiastic service above all by his outstanding pastoral work,
introducing new methods while also trying to adapt religious activity
 to the difficult conditions under a communist regime. Another 
notable characteristic is his close relationship with the basic Church
community, and he is very much a man of action, constantly traveling
from one community to another.

His peasant origin and his very long service as a parish priest
in the villages of north Croatia have forged his character and his
close relations with the common man. Kuharic was born on 15 April
1919 in the Croatian village of Gornji Pribic, the thirteenth child
in a poor peasant family. He worked as a parish priest, until 1964,
when he was consecrated bishop. In 1969 the Archbishop of Zagreb,
Franjo Cardinal Seper, was named as head of the Vatican's Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith and the next year Kuharic was appointed
to succeed him as Archbishop of Zagreb, the largest and the most 
important diocese in Yugoslavia, which was founded in 10 94 by the 
Hungarian King Ladislaus. As Archbishop of Zagreb, in accordance
with established tradition, Kuharic is ex officio President of the
Yugoslav Bishops' Conference, a position that invests him with some
influence among Yugoslavia's other Catholic bishops.

Kuharic was appointed as Archbishop of Zagreb during a
politically and psychologically favorable period. His predecessor, Franjo
Seper, had succeeded in gradually removing the main obstacles to
the normalization of relations between Yugoslavia's communist 
government and the Vatican. As a result, diplomatic relations between
Belgrade and the Vatican were re-established in 1966 and Yugoslavia
became the first East European communist-ruled country to have
diplomatic relations with the Holy See. In 1970 Belgrade and the
Vatican exchanged envoys at ambassadorial level.

--------------------------
(1) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 6 January 1983.

[page 3]

RAD BR/10

18 January 1983

Under the provisions of a protocol signed by the Vatican and
the Yugoslav government, the Catholic Church in Yugoslavia was
granted, under certain conditions, freedom to increase its activity
in the spheres of publishing, the press, the education of priests,
social welfare, and even in certain cases the organization of
kindergartens. It was Kuharic who was mainly responsible for
skillfully exploiting all the legal possibilities for the consolidation
of the Catholic community in Croatia, while at the same time 
avoiding potential areas of conflict with the communist state. As a result,
during the late 1960s, Catholic seminaries were filled with students,
and in Yugoslavia more priests were ordained every year than in
Germany and Austria together. Catholic newspapers and periodicals
flourished, and the fortnightly Glas Koncila, edited by the
Archbishopric of Zagreb, reached a circulation of over 150,000. New
churches were built and new approaches to urban pastoral work were
experimented with. On the whole one could say that this was a
period of spiritual renewal in Yugoslavia, and the name of Franjo
Kuharic is incontestably linked with it.

Defender of Human Rights

Very soon, however, the communist regime turned against the
Church, attempting to suffocate the expanding religious renewal.
After 1972, the year of Tito's settlement of accounts with the
so-called "nationalist" Croatian party leaders, the Catholic
Church of Croatia was repeatedly denounced for promoting "Croatian
nationalism."

Kuharic again refused to be drawn into a discussion by
provocative accusations: his replies to press attacks were always short
and conciliatory, but at the same time firm and dignified. In the
same period he especially distinguished himself as a defender of human
rights. In .1978, during the public discussion of the new law on
religious communities in Croatic, Kuharic publicly stressed the right
of the individual to freedom and religious freedom in particular.
In an interview carried by the Zagreb Daily Vjesnik Kuharic blamed
the state authorities for the violation of these rights, saying that

it has happened in the past, and this has been
frankly recognized by the state authorities,
that these human rights have been violated.
The principles of our [Yugoslav] Constitution and
the principles proclaimed in international documents
about human rights have not always been respected
in everyday life. [2]

In January 1981 Kuharic again warned the government not to
violate the human rights of those prosecuted for political offenses.
In a letter sent to the federal government Kuharic demanded that
the right of prisoners to communicate with their priests should be
respected and that cases of maltreatment in prison and other similar

----------------------------------
(2) Vjesnik (Zagreb), 18 March 1978

[page 4]

RAD BR/10

18 January 1983

abuses of power should be investigated and those responsible should
be punished. [3]

Kuharic's elevation to the rank of cardinal will certainly strengthen
his position and authority, and in an ever more complex situation
the Yugoslav government will be obliged to listen to his voice and
his advice more carefully than was the case in the past.

- end -

-------------------------
(3) Frankfurter Allegemein Zeitung, 27 January 1981.

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