The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-02-12
Stepinac

%Stepinac
CONTINUED from Page u
munism and sought to coun-
teract them by having d strong
and informed Catholic clergy
and laity. He founded Caritas
in Yugoslayia to aid the poor
in Zagreb. In 1887, he had
accepted a post on the Com
mittee for Aid to Refugees,
which helped provide material
and moral assistance to PEG.
pie fleeing from the nazi
regime.
In 1910, he was named
Vicar Of the Yugoslav Mill
tary Ordinate by Pope Plus
XII.
During the occupation OF
Yugoslavia in World War IL,
Archbishop Stepinac main
tanned only the correct formal
relationship with the &C.
cupiers established in interna-
tional law. After the establish
ment Of the independent
Croatian state under the
Utashi, he continued to main
tain what contact the circum'
stances demanded.
SEVERAL TIMES he spoke
out against the prosecutions
of minority groups. On the
Feast of Christ the King,
October rs, 1913, Archbishop
Stepinac, preaching in the
Zagreb Cathedral said: "All
nations and all races i. have
the right to lead a life worthy
of men and to be treated with
dignity with which one treats
man. All of them without
exception whether they belong
to the race of Gypsies or
to another, whether they are
Negroes or civilized Euro
peans. whether they are de-
tested Jews or proud Aryans,
have the same right to say
"Our Father, who art In
Heaven" And if God has
given this right to all, what is
the human power that can
deny it?"
During the war, he also
gave aid and shelter to many
refugees, both Christian and
Jewish, and helped many Jew
ish refugees to escape abroad.
From the time OF his eleVa-
ton to the See of Zagreb in
1887, he had steadily admon-
ished the clergy of his arch
diocese to remain aloof from
politics and political matters
and to devote themselves en-
tirely to the duties of the
Christian ministry.
ON SEPTEMBER IS, 1916,
a little more than a year after
the end of the war and q few
months after the establish
ment Of the Federal Peoples
Republic of Yugoslavia, Arch
bishop Stepinac was arrested.
He went on trial September
80 indicted on six counts: u
collaborating with the U.s.
tashi; p cooperating and as
sisting in the Croat state I'M
der Pavelic, wartime Croat
puppet premier; - organic
ing forcible conversion of the
Orthodo in Bosnia-Herze-
govina and Croatia to Roman
Catholicism; A. serving as
Military Vicar to the Ustashl;
81 directing the editorial pol
icy of the pro.Pavelic semi
official Catholic News, and
81 concealing the archives OF
the Ustashi and the Croat
foreign ministry in an agree
ment with Pavelic.
On October II, after a
trial which precipitated world
wide attention, Cardinal Step
mae was sentenced to 10 years
at forced labor. Protests were
made by both ecclesiastical
and lay people Of many ma
tons about the unfair trial
and the prejudiced court.
THREE DAYS AFTER the
sentencing Of Archbishop
Stepinac, all those who had
contributed physically or
morally towards the prelate's
persecution were excummuni-
Gated by the Holy See.
In December, 1851, Arch
bishop Stepinac was condi-
tionally released from serving
the remainder of his SEN
tence. He was given the
choice of leaving the country
or retiring TO his native vii
lage. He chose the latter and
was confined to Krasie. He
was not allowed to exercise
his official duties as Arch
bishop of Zagreb and Metro.
politan of Croatia.
AT THE coNSlSToRY Of
January II, 1853, Archbishop
Stepinac was named a Prince
of the Church. He did not at
tend the ~Consistory in Rome,
for he would not ask Marshal