Catholic Clergy and Southslavdom

It is less well-known that the Catholic clergy in Jugoslavia has also proved itself both nationalistic and patriotic, but it is nevertheless an historical fact. In the struggle with the Turks the Catholic clergy followed in the steps of their Orthodox brothers, and on countless occasions sacrificed themselves for the nation. Several Ban-Bishops of Zagreb organized the defence of Croatia against the Turks; many Roman Catholic priests in Croatia, sword in hand, defended their country against the enemy, such as (in the 16th century) the Canons Jurak and Fintic, and (in 17th century) Frater Lika Imbrasinovic in Slovenia and Father Marko Mesic in Lika, and there were Franciscan monks who languished in Venetian dungeons, because they dared to defend their country. It is still less known that through the whole of last century both Churches, the Orthodox as well as the Catholic, carried on an active propaganda for Jugoslav freedom and union, but this also is a fact.

In the 18th century the consciousness of the identity of the Southern Slav nations began to awake, whether under Turkish, Hungarian, German or Italian rule. A Catholic priest from the Dalmatian isles, Dum Andreas Kacic, composed poems in imitation of the Serbian national poetry. Dositej Obradovic, an Orthodox monk, after acquiring a wider culture in his travels through all Europe, including Great Britain, began to write in the popular tongue. Lukian Mushitzky, an Orthodox Bishop, was also devoted to the Serbian and Slovenic Cause. Iovan Raic, the Orthodox Archimandrite, wrote a history of the Serbo-Croats in the Serbo-Croatian tongue. Sundicic, an Orthodox priest, was read by all Jugoslavs in preference to many finer authors only because he, too, was inspired by the idea of national union, and because he went so far in his identification of Serbs and Croats, that he had one of his books printed in Roman and Cyrillic characters side by side, and some others in Roman characters only, and this, although he was an Orthodox priest. Valentin Vodnik, a Slovene Catholic monk of Napoleon’s time, was also inspired by the idea of a union of all Jugoslav peoples in one state, which was to be called Illyria, and Napoleon also had this idea. In 1811 Vodnik wrote his Hymn to “Illyria Resurrected,” by which he hoped to influence Napoleon to create the Jugoslav State.

“Napoleon said: Arise, Illyria…”

This poor Slovene monk had to pay dearly for his ideals. Cruelly persecuted by the Austrian authorities, and cast from one prison into another, he finally died in 1819. And when the Croat, Ljudevit Gaj, in the forties of last century, arose with his “Illyrian”—this was only another name for the Jugoslav ideals of to-day—he was enthusiastically welcomed and supported by the Catholic theologians of the seminary in Zagreb who thenceforth became the most active champions of his ideals.

During the first forty years of the 19th century the idea of a united Jugoslavia so far materialized that the Orthodox Patriarch of Karlovtzi could install Jellacic, the celebrated Ban of Croatia, with the unanimous approval of all the Croatian Catholic clergy. The following is a still more striking example of patriotism before clericalism. In 1848 the Catholic clergy of the diocese of Zagreb met in conference, and passed a resolution including the following provisions:

1) The union of Serbs and Croats.

2) Toleration of creeds.

3) The use of the Old Slav tongue in Divine service in the Jugoslav Catholic Church.

The Catholic priest Racki, one of the most eminent Jugoslav historians, was a great champion of these ideas of reunion, and endeavoured to introduce the Cyrillitza (Cyrillic alphabet) among the Croatians.

The reaction of 1849 brought with it a brutal suppression of all national agitation and aspiration in Austria-Hungary. Austria artificially created different nationalities in her provinces, and called into existence the Dalmatians, Croatians, Slavonians, Istrians, Carniolians, etc., as separate nationalities, even as—after the occupation of Bosnia—the new nationality of the “Bosnians” immediately arose in the world.

But the Austrian terror only succeeded in awakening the Jugoslav national consciousness in all these provinces, which are inhabited by one nation, homogeneous as the inhabitants of Northern and Southern France. And thus the Austrian plan to convert geographical conceptions into historical, national and religious conceptions, was frustrated. This was very clearly shown after the first Austrian defeat. One result of the battle of Solferino was the revival of the old agitation. The enlightened Prince Michael, who at this time ascended the Serbian throne, was not only an enthusiast for Jugoslav ideals, but strove actively towards their realization. At his own expense he sent many Slovenes, Croats and Bulgarians to college for their education, thus preparing an entire generation for the realization of his plans,—even the Bulgarians; for they, too, as represented by the best of their nation were at one time enthusiasts for the Jugoslav cause.

In Slovenia and Carniola the Catholic clergy were the strongest representatives and champions of the same cause. Among them Antun Ashkerz and Dum Simon Gregorcic undoubtedly distinguished themselves above all others. Both were poets; the former was the greatest Slovene composer of epic and ballad poetry. “My muse is a Spartan,” he said, “In one hand she holds the sword, and in the other a torch.” Simon Gregorcic was the greatest lyrical poet of his nation. His most beautiful poems are patriotic songs. In contrast to the war-like Ashkerz he was a gentle-souled optimist, a pure anima candida.