| Abstract | Svatko bi se teško snašao u vrtlogu Drugog svjetskog rata gdje su ljudi zapravo zaboravili na svoju ljudskost i dostojanstvo. Stepincu se najviše zamjera što je javno pozdravio osnivanje Nezavisne Države Hrvatske 1941 godine. Nitko ne može poreći da je Stepinac htio da hrvatski narod napokon stekne svoju državu, jer svaki narod ima to pravo. I sami Stepinac je mnogo puta rekao da je uvijek sanjao kada će doći dan da Hrvatska napokon ima svoju državu, a to nije porekao ni na vlastitiom suđenju 1946. godine. No ne može se ga se zbog toga optuživati za suradnju u ustašama i s njihovim režimom, jer se zapravo ubrzo razočarao s njihovim načinom vladanja. Stepinac je mnogo puta javno kroz svoje propovijedi istupio protiv rasnih zakona koje su provodile ustaške vlasti, a mnogo puta je slao pisma Paveliću i njegovim najbližim suradnicima gdje ih moli da se ponašaju u skladu s kršćanskim moralom i naukom. Njegovo zauzimanje za ugrožene ljude, bez obzira na njihovu rasu ili vjeru nitko ne može opovrgnuti. Isto tako, mnogi mu prigovaraju da je stalno bio u kontaktu s ustašama tijekom njihove vladavine, no on je kao glavni predstavnik Crkve morao biti u odnosima s vlašću, te ga se zbog toga isto tako ne može kriviti. Dolaskom komunista na vlast, mnogi su odlučili pobjeći, no Stepinac je odlučio ostati sa svojim narodom. Katolička crkva na čelu sa Stepincem će od strane komunista biti izložena progonu iz više razloga. Prvi razlog je bio izraženi Stepinčev antikomunistički stav s kojim se nova vlast nikako nije mogla pomiriti. Upravo zbog Stepinčeve oštre osude ateizma i materijalizma, kritičari su ga često prozivali da je podržavao nacizam i ustaše, a to mišljenje i danas vlada kod nekih povjesničara. Drugi razlog za progone je bio taj što je vrhovni poglavar Katoličke crkve Papa, koji se nalazi u Rimu te je bio daleko od dosega jugoslavenskih vlasti. Ubrzo nakon dolaska na vlast, komunisti su krenuli u konačni obračun sa Stepincem provodeći razne mjere koje su išle na štetu Katoličke crkve kao što je bilo oduzimanje crkvene imovine, ukidanjem vjeronauka u crkvama, uhićenja svećenika... Napeti odnosi između nadbiskupa Stepinca i komunista su doživjeli svoj vrhunac kada je u javnost poslano pastirsko pismo, a i sami Tito je reagirao oštro na sadržaj pisma pitajući se zašto takvo pismo nije bilo napisano i za vrijeme ustaša. Nakon pisma krenulo se u pripremu za uhićenje Stepinca, koji je ubrzo izveden pred sud te je bio osuđen prema svim točkama optužnice. Stepinčevo ime je i danas vrlo aktualna tema, pa je vrlo teško dati odgovor na pitanje tko je zapravo bio Alojzije Stepinac. Za neke će on uvijek predstavljati mučenika i borca za pravednost, a za neke će uvijek biti izdajica. Upravo smo svjedoci kako je Srpska pravoslavna Crkva burno reagirala na mogućnost da bi Stepinac mogao biti proglašen svetim. Vjerojatno će morati proći još mnogo godina da se povjesničari i crkveni poglavari, kako katolički tako i pravoslavni ujedine oko mišljenja tko je zapravo bio zagrebački nadbiskup Alojzije Stepinac. |
| Abstract (english) | This paper describes difficult conditions in which Stepinac had to work. Everyone would have found it hard to cope with the whirlpool of the Second World War where people forgot about their humaneness and dignity. What Stepinac was resented for the most was the fact that he publicly saluted the foundation of the Independent State of Croatia in 1941. Nobody can deny that Stepinac wanted the Croatian people to have their own state, which is the right of every nation. Many times he mentioned that he had always dreamed of the day when Croatia would be a state and he didn’t deny it during his own trial in 1946. But that is not the reason to accuse him of collaborating with the Ustashi and their regime because quite soon he was disappointed with their way of governing. In his sermons, multiple times he accentuated that he was against racial laws enforced by the Ustashi authorities. Also, he sent many letters to Pavelić and his closest associates, asking them to behave in accordance with Christian morality and doctrine. Nobody can refute his standing up for the endangered people, regardless their race or religion. Also, many reproach him for constantly being in contact with the Ustashi during their government, but, as the main representative of the Church, he had to be in contact with the authorities and can’t be blamed for that. With the arrival of communists in power, many decided to flee, but Stepinac decided to stay with his people. Catholic church, led by Stepinac, was to be persecuted by communists for several reasons. The first one is because of Stepinac’s pronounced anti-communist attitude that new authorities couldn’t reconcile with. Stepinac’s sharp condemnation of atheism and materialism is the reason why critics often denounced him for supporting Nazism and the Ustashi. Some historians still believe that to be true. Another reason for persecution was the fact that Pope, supreme head of Catholic Church, was in Rome and thus, out of the reach of Yugoslav authorities. Soon after their arrival in power, communist started the final confrontation with Stepinac, enforcing various measures at the expense of Catholic Church, such as seizure of church property, suspension of Sunday school, arresting priests... Tense relations between archbishop Stepinac and communists reached their climax when the pastoral letter was released in public and when Tito himself reacted sharply asking why such a letter hadn’t been written at the time of Ustashi. After the letter started the preparations for the arrest of Stepinac. He was soon brought to court and sentenced according to all counts of the indictment. Even today, Stepinac is a current topic and it is difficult to say exactly who he was. To some, he will always be a martyr and a freedom fighter, and to others, he will always be a traitor. We have recently witnessed the burnout reaction of Serbian Orthodox Church to the possibility of proclaiming Stepinac saint. Many years will probably pass before historians and church leaders, catholic and orthodox ones, agree on who Zagreb archbishop Stepinac really was. |
