DR. LAV ZNIDARČIĆ, KATOLIČKI DJELATNIK, HRVATSKI UZNIK I DUGOGODIŠNJI PREDSJEDNIK KRIŽARSKE ORGANIZACIJE (SPLIT, 14. KOLOVOZA 1918. − ZAGREB, 23. PROSINCA 2001.)
DR. LAV ZNIDARČIĆ, CATHOLIC EMPLOYEE, CROATIAN PRISONER AND LONG-TERM PRESIDENT OF THE CRUSADE ORGANIZATION (SPLIT, AUGUST 14, 1918 – ZAGREB, DECEMBER 23, 2001)

Summary/Abstract: Based on unpublished archival material and recent literature, the author researched the life and work of Dr. Lav Znidarčić, a Catholic worker, Croatian prisoner and longtime president of the Great Crusade, the leading Catholic organization in the then Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He was the president of the Great Crusade (VKB) in the period from 1942 until 1945, when he was elected and then confirmed by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Dr. Alojzije Stepinac. He was the president of the VKB until the dissolution of the organization in 1945, but even after that he secretly led the organization until 1993, when the chairmanship of the organization was taken over by prof. dr. sc. Petar Kraljevic. Dr. Lav Znidarčić, was born on August 14, 1918 in Split to a traditional Catholic family. Even though they were raised Christian, one part of his family accepted Marxist ideology and an atheistic worldview. From the earliest youth, Lav Znidarčić was a part of the Eagle Organization, in which he became an active member in 1926. After the Six-January Dictatorship banned his work in 1929, he became actively involved in the founding and work of the Crusader Organization in January 1930. During the Second World War, he proved to be a wise and pragmatic leader of the Great Crusade and consistent and loyal to the idea of the blessed Ivan Merz on the non-partisanship and non-politics of the Crusade, which he consistently advocated until his death. Due to his social engagement after the Second World War, he was arrested and condemned several times by the communist authorities, but this did not sway him in his work and he remained completely consistent with the idea of the Blessed Ivan Merz and Catholic Action.

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