Cardinal Stepinac: Fascist Saint?

Cardinal Stepinac, 1946:

"The Croatian nation unanimously declared itself for the Croatian State and I would have been remiss had I not recognised and acknowledged this desire of the Croatian people enslaved by the former Yugoslavia" (from his reply at the trial, Benigar 1974, p. 584.).

Cardinal Stepinac, two months before his death:

"St. Cyprian gave his executioner 25 gold coins before the latter beheaded him. I have no gold. All I can offer is prayer for the one who will put me to death, so that God might forgive him and give him eternal life, and a peaceful death to me... With Divine Grace I will fulfil my duty to the end, with no hatred and no fear of anyone..." (Bauer, 1979, p. 152).

Die Presse, 11 February 1960:

"...Imprisoned in the rustic seclusion of his Croatian native village, yet among his own people, seriously ill yet steadfast in the confession of his faith, cut off from the world since the end of the war, yet world-famous as a martyr for the freedom of the Church in the communist East, Cardinal Stepinac has today passed away..."

Francis Spellman, Cardinal of New York:

"The news about Cardinal Stepinac's death has been received here with distress. The American people recognises in him the spirit that has made our country great: the spirit which takes no account of the price, which can never be too high, when freedom is at stake. We are proud that the Archdiocese of New York has erected a living memorial to Stepinac, Alojzije Stepinac High School, where young people are trained and taught how to respect and enhance the principles, for which this brave man lived and died..." (Hrvatski glas, 7 March 1960).

Jean Rupp, Bishop of Paris:

"...We are proud of the great personality of Cardinal Stepinac. He is a martyr of modern times, a Christian martyr, a martyr of his duty. He could have left his homeland and lived abroad in freedom, but he refused that offer of the regime because he wanted to stay, live and die in the heart of his Croatia. Be it before, during or after the war, he always struggled for truth..."

The Register, 11 February 1960:

"...He is the Church's first prince who died in seclusion and prison into which he had been thrown by the communists. In the entire free world, the 62-year-old prelate had for long been respected as one of the bravest martyrs of the Church of modern times..."

La Croix, 12 February 1950:

"...Cardinal Stepinac belongs to the heroes of the Church. He chose to stay with his people, to support it with his presence and to fortify it with his silent suffering..."

The Globe and Mall, 12 February 1960:

"...Now, with his death, Cardinal Stepinac joins the Church of Heroes _ possibly her martyrs _ who irrevocably and unwaveringly maintained their faith."

Le Monde, 12 February 1960

"...Cardinal Stepinac is leaving this world, without ever resuming his duties, and without ever donning the symbols of his distinction. Confined to his little house, cut off from the world, physically worn out, he was growing in the eyes of the faithful into a martyr..."

Chicago's American, 11 February 1960:

"...The death of Alojzije Stepinac has removed a great living symbol of the resistance to communism, but the moral provided by his life has remained: as long as there are people of any religion who do not intend to make compromises with a pernicious dictatorship, such a dictatorship is not safe..."

The Guardian, 11 February 1960:

"...It is certain that the reasons for the court proceedings against Stepinac were political, and not moral ones, the more so because Stepinac was given a chance to leave the country instead of standing trial..."

Another cut and paste filibuster, I see. Have fun.

Catholic Harold, USA, 19 February 1960:

"... The Cardinal was a saintly, spiritual-minded man, who liked to mix with workers... He died a martyr's death, possibly the harshest one ever, because he had been dying slowly under Tito's rule, for the past 15 years..."

Dr Isidor M. Emanuel, Bishop of Speyer:

"...Cardinal Stepinac has moved into eternity, and with him one of the best people of our century. When I received the news about his death, just one thought occurred to me: a saint has died" (Bauer, 1979, p. 174).

Cardinal Franjo Kuharic:

"... He lived at an extremely complex, difficult and tragically historical time... The appalling night of war descended upon the world. The Croatian people and its Church were not exempted from the bloody drama of Europe and the world. At this compressed time of darkness and pain, moan and death, Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac followed in his conscience the triple light: faith, hope and love... He always desired the welfare of his and every other people; he strove to help every man regardless of his convictions; he struggled for the honour of God and for the dignity of every human being. Yes, he was a true disciple of Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour..." (AKSA, 8 February 1980)