Strong links between Church and State
On the political level, close links between Church and State exist objectively. In the history of governance, they have supported conservative and nationalist orientations, with a large part of the clergy openly siding with the traditionalist and identity right.
By signing four agreements of mutual interest with the Vatican between 1996 and 1998, Franjo Tuđman, President of the Republic from 1992 to 1999, officially recognized the historical and cultural importance of Christianity in Croatia. The communist era was very repressive against religious people, considered as opponents of the regime. After the collapse of the Eastern bloc and the end of the communist ideal, Catholicism regained a significant place in civilian life. Today, despite the disinterest and atheism of the various leaders, the Church can influence educational, family and general or ethical orientations. We have seen this during demonstrations against gay marriage, anti-abortion or recently against gender theory.Religious and secular minorities are well represented
The distribution of religions in Croatia also includes Orthodox Christians (11%), mainly represented by the Serb community of Krajina or Eastern Slavonia, Protestant Hungarians (0.3%) and a few thousand practicing Jews. After the Judeo-Christians, the Muslim community (1.3%) is mainly from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo. Living in the Balkans for centuries, Muslims speak Serbo-Croatian, which contributes to a relatively good integration.
Even if the majority of the population is Christian, an anticlerical tendency, a legacy of socialist collectivism, persists in the public service, the liberal professions, and generally among intellectuals. This form of secularist thought, notable in the media, is also expressed in cultural institutions and in a more delicate way in education. At school, the family gets involved and reactionary debates are stirring, especially on the issue of sex education, which remains a taboo for many traditionalists. But overall, in its quest for religious coexistence and social cohesion, Croatia is evolving peacefully between conservatism of ideas and modern pragmatism, mutual respect for religious practices, community initiatives and secular civic actions.Calendar holidays, pilgrimages, religious tourism attracts believers from all over the world
If the Epiphany, the feasts of Easter, the Assumption, All Saints' Day, Christmas Eve or St Stephen's Day are very well attended in the church by a multigenerational assembly, the processions of patron saints such as St Blaise (February 3) in Dubrovnik or St Domnius (May 7) in Split give rise to large gatherings. Some sanctuaries and places of pilgrimage, many of which are located throughout the territory, are so famous that people come from far away to participate. In this sense, we can speak of religious tourism, as in Marija Bistrica, Vepric, Sinj, Solin, Ludbreg, Aljmaš, Voćin, Trsat, Karlovac and Biskupija, without forgetting Međugorje, place of apparition of the Virgin, located in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dražen Kutleša, Bishop of Poreč and Bishop of Pula, responsible for this sector of activity at the Croatian Bishops' Conference, considers that his country has an insufficiently developed resource there... Several incoming agencies offer tours and accommodation on site. For example, Meridian, a tour operator based in Podgora (Split), has specialized in this promising segment.
