Crkva spram demokracije - Od obazrivog (ne)prepoznavanja do vrijednosnog prihvaćanja
The Church Towards Democracy - From the Considerate Non-Recognition to the Evaluative Acceptance

Summary/Abstract: Since 1891, Roman Catholic Church is systematically engaged in the social issues. In the context of this kind of Church’s engagement the issue of democracy, as a social and political state system, found its place only in 1944. The traditional Church teaching represents the principle that the right on practicing the authority isn’t bound with any form of government. This view had the consequence that the Church wasn’t opposed to any form of government, if this showed the capability to serve to the good of citizens. But almost at the end of the Second World War the Pope Pius XII stated that if the future belongs to the democracy, than the essential part of its realization is about to become the part of the Christ’s faith and the Church concern. Seems to be very important to keep in mind that the change of the Church’s “paradigm” toward democracy was happened in the time when political dictatorships shown their true face of inhumanity and bloodthirstiness. And yet these inhumane dictatorships were “legitimate” governments (...) The hurriedly democratization of the post war societies and the creation of social and political presuppositions for implementation of democratic governments set the Church in motion to take seriously care of the issue of democracy (...) In the process of the Church’s facing the democracy, especially in her effort to give the right orientation to that process, three factors has played the major role. First, in 1963 for the first time in one official ecclesiastic document expresis verbis were mentioned the basic human rights and duties that rise from the same nature of human person. Second, the Vatican Council 2 has recognized the right autonomy of worldly things, and consequently of the politics and the political pluralism, having welcomed the growing consciousness about human dignity in the world. The human dignity requires a special social and political order capable of preserving and promoting it and its basic rights. The same Council has condemned all forms of social and political orders that obstruct civic and religious freedom. Third, the Vatican Council 2 has recognized the right of the human person on social and civic freedom in the matter of faith. This right doesn’t depend upon one’s subjective disposition, but it is grounded in the very nature of human person(...)

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