Ivan Merz - Svetitelj hrvatstva
Ivan Merz - The Saint of Croatianism

Summary/Abstract: The topical process of amplified beatification of the so-called Croatian saints, which is of extreme importance for conducting national homogenization and spreading Croatianism on what used to be ethnic Serbian territory, did not avoid the figure of the theologian Ivan Merz who in his life distinguished himself by anti-liberal appearances and spreading the national idea of Croatianism through the organizations of the Catholic action. The impression imposed on is that, later on, the figure of Ivan Merz was placed on a pedestal of a great writer – a creator and untouchable saint with the prominent religious and national genius. According the Roman-Catholic apologists, trailblazing tasks of spreading the Catholic action had been done by the „early fighter of the Catholic action“ Ivan Merz. He did not establish separate organizations of the Catholic actions, but turned the newly-formed Croatian Eagle union in that direction. He did the similar thing in other cultural Catholic organizations as well. As far as the organization of the Catholic action is concerned, Ivan Merz met lack of understanding in one part of the Roman-Catholic movement, the members of which regarded that the Catholic movement was sufficient for the Yugoslav conditions. In effect, the Catholic movement, according to the instructions of the secret Seniorate, put the church political engagement in the foreground. On the other hand, what was important to Merz was the desire of the Church and Pope to spread the Catholic action ideas among the Croatian people, the whole life of this nation, in order for as many as possible Roman-Catholics would join the official „apostolate of the Church and its rescue mission“ (Roman-Catholic social apostolate).

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