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Članak donosi neobjavljene i u to vrijeme neke objavljene dokumente o Stepincu iz Meštrovićeva arhiva na Sveučilištu Notre Dame u Indiani, SAD, na kojem je Meštrović predavao od 1955. godine do svoje smrti 1962. godine. Uz ostale, donosi se Meštrovićevo pismo kardinalu Spellmanu iz 1954. godine označeno oznakom „povjerljivo“, pismo Alojzija Stepinca Meštroviću od 3. listopada 1956. godine, Meštrovićeva čestitka Stepincu u povodu njegova 60. rođendana, prepiska sa č. s. Reginom Mary C. S. J. nakon Meštrovićeva posjeta Stepincu 1959. godine. U članku su dokumenti dijelom transkribirani i prikazani su, tj. obrađeni najvažniji sadržaji. Dokumenti su nastali u razdoblju od 1949. do 1960. godine. Dokumentacija pokazuje da je Ivan Meštrović iznimno poštovao Stepinca te ga je smatrao nevinim u odnosu na sva nedjela koja su mu se u montiranom sudskom procesu i u javnosti stavljala na teret.

Contemporary Eastern Orthodox theologian, Ioannis Zizioulas, is certainly one of the most prominent theologians of the modern times considering his great work as well as the depth of his thought. Although his work explores a spectrum of theological ideas, this paper brings his ecclesiology into light from a point of view of “liturgical” and “therapeutic” ecclesiology, which Zizioulas recognizes within the eastern tradition as two types of ecclesiology that are intertwined and therefore cannot be separated one from the other. Thus, this paper examines Zizioulas’ work in the context of the contemporary Greek Orthodox theology and puts forward his interest and view on ecclesiology with an aim to illustrate the “liturgical” and “therapeutic” dimension of ecclesiology that is present in his work and thought which are based fairly on patristic theology. Along these lines, this paper presents his ecclesiological concept right through the prism of “liturgical” and “therapeutic” ecclesiology.

Toward the end of Cardinal Ratzinger’s mandate as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he reflected upon the crisis of faith and culture in Europe and its causes, particularly the refusal by European Union ruling classes to put God’s name in the new European Constitution or acknowledge Europe’s Christian roots. Moreover, his writings reveal a personal and thoughtful approach to Benedictine monasticism and St. Benedict as a model for the spiritual renewal of Europe. The aim of this paper is to analyze places in Joseph Ratzinger’s works as a theologian, and later as Pope Benedict XVI, on the importance of imitating St. Benedict and studying his testimonies in response to Europe’s current crisis of faith and culture. Analyzing the Enlightenment culture that led to the secularist understanding of a Europe in which the place for faith is only found through political compromise and a tolerance of faith as long as it remains on the margins of social action, rather than serving as the spiritual driving force, Pope Benedict sees Europe’s fundamental disorder in the reductionism of the Enlightenment, in which reason is limited to empirical positivism. The ultimate consequence is the loss of the foundations of public morality, the negation of human dignity and the loss of freedom in a dictatorship of relativism that contradicts the fundamental starting points of the Enlightenment—namely, the desire for open-mindedness to the whole of reality in which God is encountered as the basis of all that exists, true humanity, open to true freedom through obedience to the Word of God, and the restoration of the foundation of democracy.

The Book of Isaiah has been truly complex for bible researchers for years. The primary difficulty arises from the poetic way of expressing the author, and this is of course associated with the difficulty of connecting different historical epochs described by the Book of Isaiah in its completeness. Lately, this book has been approached in a unitary way. This will say that it is sought to be read in its wholeness of parts, rather than dividing it as it has long been a trend, into three parts: Is 1-39; 40-55; 56-66. This so-called “unity movement” in research on the Book of Isaiah shows us how the Book can nevertheless be approached whole. Therefore, in this paper, we will seek to analyze the text of Is 30:1-17 (TM) in light of the so-called “unity movement” approach to the Book of Isaiah. It should be said however that the methodological path of this work will be primarily the so-called “close reading” of the text and then also will be given some possible intertextual echoes which link Is 30, 1-17 with other parts of the Book of Isaiah. At the end author will also try to depict a possible historical and theological message of the same biblical text.

The paper about the transhumanistic era evaluates the new postulates of the philosophical concept of transhumanism and the new possibilities it offers by creating a new posthuman being with a newly constructed moral system. Through three thematic units, the work reflects on transhumanistic ideas and the new paradigm of man, which is realized by means of technological and scientific achievements. The first thematic unit discusses the philosophical idea of transhumanism and the philosophical shift made by transhumanist anthropology, especially those proclaimed in transhumanist manifestos. The second part provides an understanding of the means used by technological transhumanism starting by cyborgization and mind uploading. The third part looks at the new moral system brought by the new paradigm of posthuman ethics, which opposes the moral values of Christian anthropology.

The discourse about conscientious objection is becoming increasingly relevant today. Some dispute it, while others see it as the last defense of their beliefs against the onslaught of ethical relativism and an increasing number of permissive laws. The paper emphasizes that conscientious objection is an act of faithfulness to oneself, that is, to one’s belief. The dignity of man, created in the image of Good and called to discover the truth, dictates that he discovers the truth in his conscience and makes free decisions that are in accordance with the known truth, that is, his belief. In this context, the fundamental right of every person is self-determination and making decisions in accordance with our beliefs because our actions simultaneously determine our personality. Therefore, conscientious objection cannot be seen as a conflict between believers and non-believers because the requirement to live according to one’s conscience, given that it stems from the very dignity of the person and their nature, binds every person regardless of their worldview. In the end, conscientious objection is not disobedience to the law or some anti-juridical position but an aspiration to express the correct spirit of the law that does not contradict the inalienable rights of the human person. In particular, conscientious objection is not a passive position where we jealously guard our safety and our space of personal freedom; that is a kind of escape from responsibility, refraining from taking action or transferring responsibility to another. Conscientious objection is a renunciation of one’s own comfort and an expression of courage to oppose imposed laws. It is a form of civic responsibility and religious courage to actively stand up for Good and, at the same time, an authentic way of witnessing the value of personal freedom.

In my paper, I present the current bishop of Rome against his Argentinian background and sketch the different stages in his life, pointing out meanwhile at his different perspectives as superior of the Jesuits, as auxiliary bishop and subsequently archbishop of Buenos Aires, being eventually elected as Pope. In this long process, continuities and discontinuities cannot be overlooked. It is clear that his style of exercising the function of bishop of Rome has not left anybody indifferent. The spectrum spans from a Francismania to an unthinkable and ferocious resistance inside the Church and even within the Roman curia.