Glas Koncila
Encyclopedia
Glas Koncila is a Croatia
n, Roman Catholic, weekly newspaper
published in Zagreb
and distributed throughout the country.
") began publication on October 4, 1962, at the initiative of the Zagreb Franciscans and based upon a decision made by the archbishop of Zagreb, Franjo Šeper
, as a mimeographed bulletin which reported on the events of the Second Vatican Council.
It was first printed on September 29, 1963, with the motto "The New Face of the Church". The publisher was the Archdiocesan Cathedra in Zagreb and the editor-in-chief was the head of this institution. It was issued every two weeks until the end of 1984. In December 1984, the publication's editor Živko Kustić was put under investigation and was sentenced to two months in jail the following month.
Since January 1985, Glas Koncila has been a weekly newspaper, published jointly by the archdioceses of Zagreb, Split, Sarajevo, Rijeka and Zadar. From 1987 to 1991, the archdiocese of Belgrade was also one of the publishers. Since 2004, the publisher is again the Archdiocesan Cathedra in Zagreb.
is spoken and the Universal Church
, while also covering other important events from the religious point of view, particularly in the light of ethics, Christian morality and Catholic social doctrine. It popularizes various religious contents and explains the Sunday Biblical messages in a contemporary context, thereby placing itself directly in the service of the Gospels.
In the Church where the Croatian language is spoken, this publication promotes Conciliar renewal and the ecumenical spirit. It faithfully transmits the official opinions of the leadership of the Church among the Croats and comments unofficially on current events in the Church, nation and the world, under the inspiration of the Gospels and Church history.
Glas Koncila is open to a broad spectrum of Church-historical opinions, covers important events in the non-Catholic religious communities that live in this region, responds to current questions, covers important cultural events and promotes human and Christian solidarity.
n propaganda with supported arguments and to defend the dignity and pride of the Croatian nation and the Church among it.
Until 1990, Glas Koncila was the only newspaper in Croatia which the communist party did not influence because it promoted eternal values, for example the dignity of the human being, justice, freedom and truth, as well as the cultivation of the Croatian national cultural and religious heritage, due to which it often came into conflict with the authorities. The following issues were confiscated: No. 4, dated February 22, 1970; No. 21, dated October 22, 1972; No. 7, dated April 1, 1973; and No. 12, dated June 24, 1973. The editor-in-chief was sentenced.
During the final period of the undemocratic regime, the newspaper was frequently subjected to media attacks and acquired the reputation of being an opposition publication, although in the strictest sense it was not, but it was unique in the European socialist east.
Glas Koncila devotes particular attention to social questions in the light of Catholic social doctrine, expanding its coverage of culture and recognizing culture as a synthesis of the religious and all that is human. Therefore, it serves as the co-organizer for meetings of Catholic artists. By awarding the Golden Oil Lamp, the newspaper promotes ethical and moral values in Croatian film production.
Glas Koncila devotes particular attention to the education of children, issues a monthly children's publication, Mali Koncil, and organizes Catechism Olympics which involve several thousand catechism students in competitions at the parish, deanery, diocesan and national levels.
Through the publication of the Code of Canon Law
, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
, a major biography of the Blessed Archbishop Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, the Contracts between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia, and many other works, Glas Koncila has affirmed itself as a distinguished publisher.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n, Roman Catholic, weekly newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and distributed throughout the country.
Publishing history
The newspaper (whose title means "Voice of the CouncilSecond Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
") began publication on October 4, 1962, at the initiative of the Zagreb Franciscans and based upon a decision made by the archbishop of Zagreb, Franjo Šeper
Franjo Šeper
Franjo Šeper was a Croatian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1968 to 1981, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965....
, as a mimeographed bulletin which reported on the events of the Second Vatican Council.
It was first printed on September 29, 1963, with the motto "The New Face of the Church". The publisher was the Archdiocesan Cathedra in Zagreb and the editor-in-chief was the head of this institution. It was issued every two weeks until the end of 1984. In December 1984, the publication's editor Živko Kustić was put under investigation and was sentenced to two months in jail the following month.
Since January 1985, Glas Koncila has been a weekly newspaper, published jointly by the archdioceses of Zagreb, Split, Sarajevo, Rijeka and Zadar. From 1987 to 1991, the archdiocese of Belgrade was also one of the publishers. Since 2004, the publisher is again the Archdiocesan Cathedra in Zagreb.
A promoter of conciliar renewal
Glas Koncila, a Catholic religious newspaper, reports on the events of the Church where the Croatian languageCroatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
is spoken and the Universal Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
, while also covering other important events from the religious point of view, particularly in the light of ethics, Christian morality and Catholic social doctrine. It popularizes various religious contents and explains the Sunday Biblical messages in a contemporary context, thereby placing itself directly in the service of the Gospels.
In the Church where the Croatian language is spoken, this publication promotes Conciliar renewal and the ecumenical spirit. It faithfully transmits the official opinions of the leadership of the Church among the Croats and comments unofficially on current events in the Church, nation and the world, under the inspiration of the Gospels and Church history.
Glas Koncila is open to a broad spectrum of Church-historical opinions, covers important events in the non-Catholic religious communities that live in this region, responds to current questions, covers important cultural events and promotes human and Christian solidarity.
An "opposition" publication
During the communist regime, Glas Koncila followed the development of atheistic thought and practice, and opposed the systematic atheization of the entire society, consistently supporting the dignity of each individual. Until the period of democratic changes, Glas Koncila was the only publication to resist Greater SerbiaGreater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia applies to the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology directed towards the creation of a Serbian land which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to the Serbian nation...
n propaganda with supported arguments and to defend the dignity and pride of the Croatian nation and the Church among it.
Until 1990, Glas Koncila was the only newspaper in Croatia which the communist party did not influence because it promoted eternal values, for example the dignity of the human being, justice, freedom and truth, as well as the cultivation of the Croatian national cultural and religious heritage, due to which it often came into conflict with the authorities. The following issues were confiscated: No. 4, dated February 22, 1970; No. 21, dated October 22, 1972; No. 7, dated April 1, 1973; and No. 12, dated June 24, 1973. The editor-in-chief was sentenced.
During the final period of the undemocratic regime, the newspaper was frequently subjected to media attacks and acquired the reputation of being an opposition publication, although in the strictest sense it was not, but it was unique in the European socialist east.
Independence and openness
Glas Koncila has also maintained its independence from the political authorities in democratic Croatia, in which it has increasingly opened discussion on actual topics concerning overall national life, promoting the values of the Gospels as the foundation of a healthy and pluralistic society.Glas Koncila devotes particular attention to social questions in the light of Catholic social doctrine, expanding its coverage of culture and recognizing culture as a synthesis of the religious and all that is human. Therefore, it serves as the co-organizer for meetings of Catholic artists. By awarding the Golden Oil Lamp, the newspaper promotes ethical and moral values in Croatian film production.
Glas Koncila devotes particular attention to the education of children, issues a monthly children's publication, Mali Koncil, and organizes Catechism Olympics which involve several thousand catechism students in competitions at the parish, deanery, diocesan and national levels.
Through the publication of the Code of Canon Law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
, the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official text of the teachings of the Catholic Church. A provisional, "reference text" was issued by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992 — "the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council" — with his apostolic...
, a major biography of the Blessed Archbishop Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, the Contracts between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia, and many other works, Glas Koncila has affirmed itself as a distinguished publisher.