The position of the clergy between the First and the Second World Wars has not yet been depicted in the historiography, therefore a question about the social and political role of the clergy in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia is more than justified.
In the introductory part, the conditions in the society and the Catholic Church in the stated period are described, followed by the presentation of the role of the clergy in the economic, social, cultural, and media spheres.
The first part is based on the literature and partly on the secondary sources. All the areas stated above have already been extensively and accurately illustrated, however not emphasised from the clergy's point of view. Life in the mentioned period was influenced by general social conditions, and marked by religious indifference, immorality, violence, and poverty, characteristic for the post-war period. The pertaining problems in all spheres of life were slowly dealt with by the state. Nevertheless, the development of education, culture, and language brought about several positive social changes. The second decade of the stated period was marked by the economic crisis and the spread of ideologies of Yugoslav Unitarism and Marxism, which led to internal clashes also among the Catholics. The Catholic Church responded to the social challenges with extensive activity in the field of spirituality by founding religious organizations, and with active involvement in the fields of education, culture, and charity. Its status, however, remained legally undefined and unresolved throughout the whole period. The legal resolution was based on the hope of accepting and confirming the concordat, yet remained unfulfilled.
In the second part, the legal basis for the regulation of the status of the clergy is depicted, followed by the description of the position of the clergy itself on the basis of the relevant resources, supplemented by the secondary sources. In particular, personal funds, business visits, and correspondence with state authorities have been taken into account.
It is evident from the presentation of the situation and the examination of the sources that the clergy was a completely ununified social group, divided by substantial social and material differences. The position of the clergy was not formally organized and was therefore a source of concerns, difficulties, and differences between the priests. For this reason, a systematic and unified outline of the position of the clergy is not possible. Even the Catholic Church and its authorities have not done enough to improve the system in the mentioned field.
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