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{{Infobox book
'''Magnum Crimen''' is a book about ] in ] from the end of ninetheenth century until the end of the ]. The book, whose full title is ''Magnum crimen - pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj''<ref>Magnum crimen - pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj by Viktor Novak, Nakladni zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb 1948</ref> (The Great Crime - a half-century of clericalism in Croatia), was written by a ] and professor and historian at ], Dr. Viktor Novak. <br>
| name = Magnum Crimen
Dr. Novak says he spent more than forty years on collecting documents and books that should be used for writing this book. He started collecting this material since his secondary school days, then continued it as the university student, and the seminary student in Rome, then as the university professor in Belgrade. He was wrote a trilogy, of which the last part is ''Magnum crimen''. (The first two parts of this trilogy are: ''Magnum tempus'' and ''Magnum sacerdos''). His misfortune was that he was forced to destroy all collected material facing the danger of being arrested and killed by the German occupying forces and their collaborators in Belgrade - immediately after destruction and occupation of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in the year of 1941. He was among the first ten people arrested in Belgrade by Germans. Continued working on this book after liberation of Belgrade - 20 October 1944.
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = Magnum Crimen 1948.jpg
| caption =
| author = ]
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = Yugoslavia
| language = ]
| series =
| subject =
| genre =
| publisher = Nakladni zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb
| pub_date = 1948
| english_pub_date =
| media_type =
| pages = 1,119
| isbn =
| oclc =
| preceded_by = Magnum sacerdos
| followed_by =
}}
The '''''Magnum Crimen''''' is a book about ] in ] from the end of 19th century until the end of the ]. The book, whose full title is ''Magnum crimen&nbsp;– pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj'' (''The Great Crime&nbsp;– a half-century of clericalism in Croatia''), was written by a professor and historian at ], ] (1889–1977).<ref>Ljetopis Jugoslavenske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti by Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, Zagreb 1979, pages 58, 673-4</ref> The book was first published in ] in 1948.<ref>{{cite news | title = Tito, Yugoslavia's demise distorted | date = 1995-07-30 | first = Amy | last = Schmidt | work = ] | page = B7}}</ref>


Immediately after the book was published, the ] placed this book on the ] and pronounced ] against the author.<ref>Viktor Novak:Magnum crimen: pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj, Volume 2, Svjetlost, 1960 p. 28 <br /> ''... a Santo Officio stavio djelo na Index librorum prohibitorum, zacijelo žaleći samo što pisca njegova ne može da izvede na lomaču, da i s njime upriliči jedan monstruozno svečani Auto da fe, Actus fidei, ...''</ref>{{sfn|Rivelli|1998|p=102:<br />''Loin de se repentir, donc, le Vatican s'est tu. L'auteur d'un ouvrage sur ce massacre, le Dr Viktor Novak, historien yougoslave d'origine croate, a vu son œuvre, Magnum Crimen, publiée à Zagreb en 1948, à l'Index librorum prohibitorum en même temps qu'il était excommunié''}}<ref name="petranovic"/><ref name="boehm"/>
Observing the Roman Catholic Church activities in Yugoslavia for more than fifty years, he concluded that this Church replaced idea of serving to God by serving to the Roman Curia, i.e. to the government of Roman Pontificate in the role of the world leader. As a result of this idea, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Roman Catholic Church identified the Roman Catholicism to the Croatian nationhood which turned most of her priesthood into ardent Ustashe supporters.<ref>ibid., pages I-XV</ref>

== Background ==
Novak wrote a trilogy, of which the last part was ''Magnum Crimen'' (the first two parts were the ''Magnum Tempus''<ref>published as ''Magnum tempus: ilirizam i katoličko sveštenstvo : ideje i ličnosti, 1830-1849'' by Novak, Viktor; Nova knjiga, Belgrade, 1987</ref> and the ''Magnum Sacerdos''<ref>published as ''Josip Juraj Strossmayer: apostol Jugoslovenske misli'' by Novak, Viktor; Savez sokola kraljevine Jugoslavije, Belgrade, 1941</ref>). According to O. Neumann, Novak was a Croat by birth, and he has been, since 1924, active among the Serbs. "He was Chair of Croatian History, which was founded at the ] in order to promote mutual understanding between the two kindred peoples".<ref name="neumann"/> One of the determining factors in his life was his visit to Rome before 1914 and his research in the Vatican Archives. As a medievalist, he came into close contact with problems of modern religious life, and took lively interest in relations between the Vatican and Catholic Croats.

Observing the ] activities in Yugoslavia for more than fifty years, Novak concluded that this Church replaced the idea of service to God with service to the Roman ], i.e., to the government of the ] in the role of its world leader. As a result of this idea, in the ], the Roman Catholic Church identified Catholicism with ]n nationhood,<ref>Magnum Crimen , page 9: ''Stadler je istaknuo, da će hrvatstvo moći biti spašeno jedino pod vođstvom hvatskoga episkopata. Nadbiskup Stadler održao je ovaj znameniti govor, koji je toliko puta kasnije citiran i označivan kao najmisaoniji i najdalekosežniji program, na drugoj svečanoj sjednici, i oduševio je svu prisutnu "preuzvišenu, presvijetlu i ostalu visokocijenjenu gospodu", kojoj se obraćao povišenim tonom, kad god je naglašavao vezu između hrvatstva i katolicizma''</ref> which Novak argues turned most of its priesthood into ardent ] supporters.<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', pages I-XV</ref>


==Content== ==Content==
The book has two distinct parts. The first one has fifteen chapters covering the Roman Catholic clericalism from the end of nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century in Austria-Hungary, then in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and the second one, the last four chapters - rise and fall of the so-called Independent State of Croatia, and the active support of the Roman Catholic Church clergy to this morbid fascist/Nazi state and the active support and involvement of the clergy in the atrocities against Serbs, Jews, and the Roma people. The book is full of quotes of the documents (newspaper articles, books, speeches, court testimonies) showing graphically the activity of the Roman Catholic clergy in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, their intentions and activities to be above the state, to control the state and every day's life of common people.


===First edition ===
The main doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was<ref>ibid., pages 158-159 </ref><br>
Viktor Novak was imprisoned in ] in autumn of 1941. In the camp he met refugees from the ] and heard of the crimes committed by ] and their clerical supporters. After leaving the camp he started to write Magnum Crimen.<ref>Richard West: Tito and the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia, Faber & Faber, Nov 15, 2012, Chapter 6. First Clashes with the Chetniks</ref>
a) the clergy shall be paid by the state as the state officials<br>
b) the state cannot have any control over the Church<br>
c) the Church has right to be fully involved in the political life of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia<br>
d) the Church doctrine/religious education shall be a part of primary and secondary school curricula<br>
e) the Roman Catholic Church curricula in the schools shall be obligatory to all pupils whose at least one parent is a Roman Catholic.


The book describes the activities of the Roman Catholic clergy in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, including their intention and attempts to become above the state, to control the state and eventually the everyday lives of the common people.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} It has two distinct parts. The first part consists of 15 chapters, covering Catholic clericalism from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century in ], then in the ]. The second part, the last four chapters, covers the rise and fall of the 1941–45 ] (NDH), and the active support of provided to it by the Catholic clergy.
In order to achieve these goals, the Roman Catholic Church was actively involved in preventing Kingdom of Yugoslavia from separating the state from the Church. These activities were in supporting clerical political parties, confronting them to other confessions - primarily to the Serbian Orthodox Church - by publicly preaching hatred against the Orthodox population and advocating Croatian and Slovene separatism and intolerance against others.


According to Novak, the main doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was based on the following:<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', pages 158-159</ref>
The great ideas of Strossmayer - serving God equaled to serving people<ref>ibid., page XIV</ref>, creating close relations between Croats and Serbs by introducing the Old Slavonic language as the language of the Roman Catholic Church in the Balkans<ref>ibid., page 257: ''Uvođenje starog slavenskog jezika u bogosluženje katoličkih Hrvata Strossmayer je punih pet decenija smatrao kao jedno od sredstava za zbližavanje zapadne s istočnom crkvom. Napori Strossmayera, koje je on učinio za te ideale u Rimu, Petrogradu, Beogradu i na Cetinju, ogromnih su razmjera''</ref> - were aggressively suppressed by the Roman Catholic clergy in Croatia and Slovenia. The clergy put the Roman Curia in between the God and the people - demanding from the Roman Catholics - ultimate obedience to the Roman Curia and unconditional love of the Roman Pope. The clergy remaining faithful to the Strossmayer was marginalized, the most ardent supporters excommunicated by the Zagreb archbishop. Nevertheless, Strossmayer was embraced as a great Roman Catholic bishop by the same clergy - but his teaching was distorted or not mentioned ever. The same destiny faced Rački, Trumbić, and Radić - three Croatain politicians advocating actively and fighting for the Yugoslavism - as a common denominator of togetherness and life among the Slavic people of the kingdom of Yugoslavia. Rački was not even allowed to attend the Strossmayer's funeral ceremony - even though that he was an ordained Roman catholic Church priest and true Strossmayer's friend and follower. The Trumbić and Radić's struggle against centralism was interpreted as the Croatian and Slovene separatism support.
* the clergy shall be paid by the state as state officials;
* the state cannot have any control over the Church;
* the Church has right to be fully involved in the political life of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia;
* the Church doctrine/religious education shall be a part of primary and secondary school curricula;
* the Roman Catholic Church curricula in the schools shall be obligatory to all pupils whose at least one parent is a Roman Catholic.
* the state should not allow conversion of Christians to non-Christianity nor allow any Catholic to be un-confessional (Constitutional section of the Roman Catholic Church doctrine in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes as of November 1921)


]'s ideas, of which the most important one was that serving God is equal to serving the people,<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', page XIV</ref> created close relations between ethnic ] and ] by introducing the ] language as the liturgical language of the Catholic church in the Balkans<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', page 257: ''Uvođenje starog slavenskog jezika u bogosluženje katoličkih Hrvata Strossmayer je punih pet decenija smatrao kao jedno od sredstava za zbližavanje zapadne s istočnom crkvom. Napori Strossmayera, koje je on učinio za te ideale u Rimu, Petrogradu, Beogradu i na Cetinju, ogromnih su razmjera.''</ref> and were aggressively suppressed by the Catholic clergy in Croatia and Slovenia.
Dr. Novak showed that even anti-Croatian activities of the Italian fascists in the Croatian and Slovene lands which Italy has got as her compensation for the WWI involvements on the Entente side - were not counteracted by the Croatian and Slovene Roman catholic clergy in Yugoslavia. Expulsion of the Croatian and Slovene clergy from these lands and their replacement by the Italians - was perceived by silence and accepted without resistance or protest among their Catholic brethren in Yugoslavia.


The Pavelić's political activities in Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Ustashe terrorism, and embracement of fascism was supported by the Roman Catholic clergy in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Pavelic's nationalism identified Roman Catholicism to the Croatdom - which was actively supported and interpreted by the clergy <ref>ibid., page 9 Dr. Ivan Šarić: ''Mi smo Hrvati i katolici i to hoćemo da budemo. Zato se sastadosmo da pred cijelim svijetom izjavimo, od kojega nam mnogi ne daju, da se zovemo Hrvati, a drugi nam hoće da krate da smo katolici.''</ref>. ]'s nationalism identified Catholicism with the Croat people, which was actively supported and interpreted by the clergy.<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', page 9 Dr. ]: ''Mi smo Hrvati i katolici i to hoćemo da budemo. Zato se sastadosmo da pred cijelim svijetom izjavimo, od kojega nam mnogi ne daju, da se zovemo Hrvati, a drugi nam hoće da krate da smo katolici.''</ref><ref>Jozo Tomasevich: War and Revolution in Yugoslavia: 1941 - 1945, Stanford University Press page 549 ''"In contrast, Novak lists hundreds of Catholic priests who supported and worked with Ustashas."''</ref>


The second part of this book, the XV-XVIII chapters are all about establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, active support of the Roman Catholic clergy to this state, and the Roman Catholic clergy involvement and support in the extermination and/or forceful conversion of the Serbs and extermination of the Jews and the Roma people. The book is full of testimonies and documents shoving the active involvements of the Catholic clergy in supporting, organizing, and executing extermination of Serbs, Jews, and Roma people of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. One of the most bizarre events was that the Roman catholic priests Matijević, Brekalo, Filipović and others who were the Jasenovac concentration camp butchers and whose every day's work there were the most gruesome ways of killings of the camp inmates - had a chapel where they prayed to the God regularly each day. The second part of this book focuses on the establishment of the 1941–45 ] (NDH), the active support extended to the state by the Catholic clergy, and the clergy's involvement and support in the extermination and/or forceful conversion of the Orthodox Serbs as well as the extermination of the Jews and the Roma people.


Novak bases his gloomy picture of the NDH and the wartime not only on written documents which, despite strict police measures found their way to the occupied capital, but also on personal narratives by some of his fellow prisoners in the Banjica konclogor.<ref name="neumann">{{cite book |last= Neumann|first= Oscar|date= 1950 |title= ''Novak, Magnum Crimen - pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj'' in Journal of Central European Affairs, Volume 10|location= Boulder CO|publisher= University of Colorado |pages= 63–65 }}</ref>
Catholic clergy defended themselves, at the end of the WWII, claiming their opposition to forceful conversion and extermination in some letters and instructions directed to the priesthood. The book gave a great number of documents and testimonies demonstrating that these letters and directions were not public and not respected or followed. Moreover, from an article from "Novi list"' it is visible that a Jew cannot be save by converting to the Roman Catholicism.


Archbishop ] is portrayed in this book as an ardent Catholic crusader<ref>Richard West: Tito and the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia, Faber & Faber, Nov 15, 2012 Chapter Notes</ref> who publicly endorsed the establishment of the NDH,<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', page 551: Stepinac in his speech (complete - on pages 150-151) on April 10, 1941. ''Odazovite se stoga spremno ovom mom pozivu na uzvišeni rad oko čuvanja i unapređenja NDH. Poznavajući muževe koji danas upravljaju sudbinom hrvatskoga naroda mi smo duboko uvjereni, da će naš narod naići na puno razumijevanje i pomoć. Mi vjerujemo i očekujemo, da će Crkva u uskrsloj Državi Hrvatskoj moći u punoj slobodi naviještati neoborive principe vječne Istine i Pravde.''</ref> acknowledged the ] as Croatian patriots,<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', page 545 ''Katolički list" saopćuje, da je tom prigodom nadbiskup izrazio ne samo svoja čestitanja za obnavljanje NDH, nego je istodobno izrazio i svoje žaljenje povodom smrti njegovoga brata Petra Kvaternika, koji je kao ustaški odmetnik poginuo u borbi sa regularnim trupama jugoslovenske vojske u Crikvenici, u trenutku kada je objavljivao u tom mjestu NDH i odcjepljenje od Jugoslavije.''</ref> defended it before the Roman Pope<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', page 887 ''U već spomenutom memorandumu papi Piju XII., nadbiskup Stepinac, zalaže se za tu monstruoznost NDH, i njen upravni aparat kao za "produženu ruku Gestapoa i Ovre", pošto smatra (18. V. 1943), da se radi "o paklenom planu uništenja katolicizma na istočnoj strani Jadrana koju pripremaju neprijatelji Crkve u tim krajevima". Da bi bio što uvjerljiviji, nadbiskup Stepinac je čitav niz ustaških zločina pripisao naprosto partizanima, a zločince svećenike nastojao da odbrani od optužbi koje su doprle do samog Vatikana.''</ref> and was responsible for the racist attitude and behaviour of his clergy.<ref>''Magnum Crimen '', page 939. Msgr. Binički in "Razbojnička pećina": Mnogi su sladokusci zamjerali Ocu Domovine (tj. Anti Starčeviću) što je poznatu pasminu (tj. Srbe) nazvao "vlaškim nakotom". Kao da Vlasi nisu ljudi, van živine, koje se kote. Tko dobro luči, dobro uči. Treba dobro razlučitu stare hrvatske Vlahe - pastire od smeća što su ga Turci sa svih strana zgrnuli u ostanke drevne kraljevine Hrvatske.''</ref>
==Perception of the book as an academic reference==
Among scholars-historians this book is accepted as a powerful academic reference and as such - cited and referenced a great number of times. That way the book became a reference book in the libraries of the most prestigious universities around the globe .


Historians L. Hory and ] wrote that the second part of this book, about the ] crimes, was based on the Yugoslav state commission whose role was to investigate the crimes of the occupying powers and their Ustashe accomplices in World War II and the Croatian Catholic Church press.<ref>Ladislaus Hory, Martin Broszat: Der kroatische Ustascha-Staat 1941-1945, Walter de Gruyter, Jan 1, 1964 page 10 see </ref>
William P. Bundy <ref>Foreign Affairs Bibliography by Council on Foreign Relations, by William P. Bundy, Archibald Cary Coolidge, Council on Foreign Relations, Hamilton Fish Armstrong - vol. 57, no. 3 - page 340</ref> gave a short survey of this book, which reads: ''A Jugoslav historian's lengthy indictment of clericalism in Croatia over the past half-century. The latter half of the book, covering the period of "independent" Croatian state of Ante Pavelić on the basis of a wealth of material from many sources, pays particular attention to the role of Achbishop Stepinac.''


===English language edition ===
However, there is a number of ultimate rejections of this book. Kljakić <ref> A Conspiracy of Silence: Genocide in the Independent State of Croatia and Concentration Camp Jasenovac by Slobodan Kljakic Published 1991 Ministry of Information of the Republic of Serbia. page 35</ref> wrote about this book: ''A major piece, written by the academician Viktor Novak, "Magnum Crimen" had been placed by the Vatican on the Index librorum prohibitorum, and anathema had been pronounced against the author.'' Neubauer <ref name=Culture>{{cite book |last=Neubauer |first=John |title=History of the literary cultures of East-Central Europe |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=pV6sFB-KuU8C&pg=PA164&dq=%22magnum+crimen%22&lr=&sig=ACfU3U10TR3aU5wnwqd9cPPSlacNQ4G3kQ |accessdate=2008-06-30 |year=2004 |publisher=John Benjamin Publishing Company |ISBN=9027234523 }}</ref> claims that this book was commissioned to aid in ]'s post war show trials. Harris <ref>{{cite web |last= Harris |first= Robin |authorlink= Robin Harris |title= On Trial Again |work= Catholic Culture |publisher= Trinity Communications |url= http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=513 |accessdate= 2008-07-16}}</ref>wrote that the book has been criticized for exaggerating the atrocities that occurred at ] in an attempt to slander the ].
This edition, except from being an English language translation of the 1948 edition, contains two new chapters - ''XIV. Ecclesia militants at war with the ideology of Tyrš'', and ''XV. Libellus accusations'', both omitted in the original version under the pressure of ]'s ] chief ].<ref name="politikasvet"/>


Chapter XIV is about the ] (''Falcon''), founded in ] in 1862 by ] and ]. The goal of the Sokol Society was to revive and enhance the national awareness and promote mental and physical health of the ] through sports and moral education. The idea soon gained a pan-Slavic character, and Sokol organizations were later established in ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The Sokol movement had full support from Strossmayer, then ]. After the dissolution of ] and the establishment of the ] in 1918, and under the leadership of Lazar Car, Croatian Sokol societies were united with Serbian and Slovenian Sokol clubs into a large Sokol Alliance on 15 June 1919.
The book has six full editions and one abridged <ref>Velika optužba (Magnum crimen) by Viktor Novak, Svjetlost Sarajevo 1960 (abridged) </ref>


The separatism-prone Croatian clergy forced Croatian Sokols to leave the ''Yugoslav Sokol Alliance'' in 1919–20, fueling internal conflicts within the Alliance on political grounds. At the same time, high Catholic clergy established the Orlovi (''Eagles'') clerical organization with the aim of taking youths away from the Alliance. The Croatian Catholic Church rejected the pan-Slavic idea of bringing together Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim believers under the motto that "''a brother is dear regardless of his faith''". The two Catholic organizations, Orlovi (''Eagles'') and Katolička Akcija (''Catholic Action'') were a main base of this resistance to the idea of ], brotherhood and religious tolerance. The Catholic Church's resistance to this idea of pan-Slavism led the Polish Sokols to abstain from the international ''All Sokol Rally'' held in Prague in 1926.


Chapter XV, titled ''Libellus Accusations'', is about a few Croatian clergymen who were followers of Strossmayer's idea (namely, that to serve people means to serve God). The most prominent among them was Frano Ivanišević, a national fighter and promoter of Old Slavonic Church language as the language of liturgy in the Croatian Catholic Church. He demonstrated that a Catholic priest serving his people would not be against his Church and faith.<ref></ref>
==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}


==See also== ==Reception==
*Magnum tempus: ilirizam i katoličko sveštenstvo : ideje i ličnosti, 1830-1849 by Viktor Novak, Nova knjiga, Belgrade 1987


The earliest international surveys of the book are the ones written by Russian S. Troicky (1949) and the Swede Oscar Neumann (1950).<ref name="neumann"/> Neumann stressed three things particular to this book: the role of Novak in spreading and defending the idea of Yugoslavism, the abundance of documents used to support the book content, and the imbalance in tone, stating that ''"Some passages have been written by a scholar in a dignified academic gown, in other parts of the book the author assumes the role of public prosecutor."'' The abridged edition of this book published in 1960 in ]<ref name="ReferenceA">Velika optužba (Magnum crimen) by Viktor Novak, Svjetlost Sarajevo 1960 (abridged)</ref> was reviewed in the Yugoslav journal of history, ''Istorijski glasnik'', that same year by Yugoslav historian ],<ref name="petranovic">Petranović, Branko - Viktor Novak: " Velika optužba (Magnum Crimen). Pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj", Istorijski glasnik, Sarajevo 1960 br. 3-4, pages 160-165</ref> and the same review was echoed in the Historical abstracts.<ref name="boehm">Eric H. Boehm: Historical abstracts, Vol. 9, American Bibliographical Center, Santa Barbara, Calif 1964. page 89</ref>
*]
*]
*http://www.ex-yupress.com/feral/feral240.html


] gave a short survey of this book, the full text of which is: ''A Yugoslav historian's lengthy indictment of clericalism in Croatia over the past half-century. The latter half of the book, covering the period of "independent" Croatian state of Ante Pavelić on the basis of a wealth of material from many sources, pays particular attention to the role of Archbishop Stepinac.''<ref>William P. Bundy: Foreign Affairs Bibliography by Council on Foreign Relations, Archibald Cary Coolidge, Council on Foreign Relations, Hamilton Fish Armstrong - vol. 57, no. 3 - page 340</ref>
]
]
]


There is a number of authors who left short negative notes about the book. These include ] (the book is not impartial),<ref></ref> John Neubauer (commissioned by the communist authorities)<ref name=Culture>{{cite book |last=Neubauer |first=John |title=History of the literary cultures of East-Central Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pV6sFB-KuU8C&q=%22magnum+crimen%22&pg=PA164 |access-date=2008-06-30 |year=2004 |publisher=John Benjamin Publishing Company |isbn=90-272-3452-3 | page = 164 }}</ref> or completely rejecting it, ] (as slanderous, anti-catholic).<ref>{{cite web |last= Harris |first= Robin |author-link= Robin Harris (author) |title= On Trial Again |work= Catholic Culture |publisher= Trinity Communications |url= http://www.catholicculture.org/library/view.cfm?recnum=513 |access-date= 2008-07-16}}</ref>


] used ''Magnum Crimen'' as a starting reference for his research about the ] in Rome and its support to the Ustashe during the Second World War and after.<ref>Hubert Butler: Independent Spirit: Essays, Macmillan, Jun 15, 2000 page 485</ref>
]

]
The book has seven full editions,<ref>http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/3602287/editions?editionsView=true&referer=di {{Bare URL inline|date=September 2022}}</ref> and one abridged<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
where the full 1986 edition was released with a foreword by Jakov Blažević.<ref name="Novakix">{{cite book |last= Novak|first= Viktor|date= 1986 |title= Magnum Crimen - pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj|location= Belgrade|publisher= Nova Knjiga |page= ix-xvi }}</ref>

The most recent, 2011 edition, translated into English, was published in two volumes,<ref>Viktor Novak: Magnum Crimen: Half a Century of Clericalism in Croatia : Dedicated to the Known and Unknown Victims of Clericalism Volume 1, Gambit, Jagodina 2011, {{ISBN|9788676240487}}</ref><ref>Viktor Novak: Magnum Crimen: Half a Century of Clericalism in Croatia : Dedicated to the Known and Unknown Victims of Clericalism Volume 2, Gambit, Jagodina 2011, {{ISBN|9788676240494}}</ref> and includes two chapters which had been excluded from all earlier editions of this book, which, according to Serbian historian ], were censored upon the request of two Croatian communist leaders, ] and ].<ref name="politikasvet"/> As reported by the Serbian daily '']'', the publication of the English language edition was financed by a schoolmate of ], who also wrote the foreword to the edition.<ref name="politikasvet">{{cite news|url=http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/Kultura/Magnum-crimen-ipak-putuje-u-svet.lt.html|title="Magnum crimen", ipak, putuje u svet|last=Radisavljević|first=Zoran|date=22 March 2012|work=Politika|language=sr|access-date=6 January 2015|location=Belgrade}}</ref> According to the same article, the publication of the English translation was coincided with the Croatia's lawsuit against Serbia in front of the ], so that "the world would be informed about Ustashe crimes against Serbs during the Second World War".<ref name="politikasvet"/>

==See also==
*]
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==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book|last=Novak|first=Viktor|author-link=Viktor Novak|title=Magnum Crimen: Pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H6uc1D7TwPAC|year=1948|location=Zagreb|publisher=Nakladni zavod Hrvatske}}
*
* {{Cite book|last=Rivelli|first=Marco Aurelio|author-link=Marco Aurelio Rivelli|year=1998|title=Le génocide occulté: État Indépendant de Croatie 1941–1945|language=fr|trans-title=Hidden Genocide: The Independent State of Croatia 1941–1945|location=Lausanne|publisher=L'age d'Homme|isbn=9782825111529|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QwBnceJfwgUC}}

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Latest revision as of 07:58, 27 August 2024

Magnum Crimen
AuthorViktor Novak
LanguageCroatian
PublisherNakladni zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb
Publication date1948
Publication placeYugoslavia
Pages1,119
Preceded byMagnum sacerdos 

The Magnum Crimen is a book about clericalism in Croatia from the end of 19th century until the end of the Second World War. The book, whose full title is Magnum crimen – pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj (The Great Crime – a half-century of clericalism in Croatia), was written by a professor and historian at Belgrade University, Viktor Novak (1889–1977). The book was first published in Zagreb in 1948.

Immediately after the book was published, the Roman Curia placed this book on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum and pronounced anathema against the author.

Background

Novak wrote a trilogy, of which the last part was Magnum Crimen (the first two parts were the Magnum Tempus and the Magnum Sacerdos). According to O. Neumann, Novak was a Croat by birth, and he has been, since 1924, active among the Serbs. "He was Chair of Croatian History, which was founded at the University of Belgrade in order to promote mutual understanding between the two kindred peoples". One of the determining factors in his life was his visit to Rome before 1914 and his research in the Vatican Archives. As a medievalist, he came into close contact with problems of modern religious life, and took lively interest in relations between the Vatican and Catholic Croats.

Observing the Roman Catholic Church activities in Yugoslavia for more than fifty years, Novak concluded that this Church replaced the idea of service to God with service to the Roman curia, i.e., to the government of the Roman Pontiff in the role of its world leader. As a result of this idea, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Roman Catholic Church identified Catholicism with Croatian nationhood, which Novak argues turned most of its priesthood into ardent Ustashe supporters.

Content

First edition

Viktor Novak was imprisoned in Banjica Concentration Camp in autumn of 1941. In the camp he met refugees from the Independent State of Croatia and heard of the crimes committed by Ustashe and their clerical supporters. After leaving the camp he started to write Magnum Crimen.

The book describes the activities of the Roman Catholic clergy in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, including their intention and attempts to become above the state, to control the state and eventually the everyday lives of the common people. It has two distinct parts. The first part consists of 15 chapters, covering Catholic clericalism from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century in Austria-Hungary, then in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The second part, the last four chapters, covers the rise and fall of the 1941–45 Independent State of Croatia (NDH), and the active support of provided to it by the Catholic clergy.

According to Novak, the main doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was based on the following:

  • the clergy shall be paid by the state as state officials;
  • the state cannot have any control over the Church;
  • the Church has right to be fully involved in the political life of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia;
  • the Church doctrine/religious education shall be a part of primary and secondary school curricula;
  • the Roman Catholic Church curricula in the schools shall be obligatory to all pupils whose at least one parent is a Roman Catholic.
  • the state should not allow conversion of Christians to non-Christianity nor allow any Catholic to be un-confessional (Constitutional section of the Roman Catholic Church doctrine in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes as of November 1921)

Josip Juraj Strossmayer's ideas, of which the most important one was that serving God is equal to serving the people, created close relations between ethnic Croats and Serbs by introducing the Old Church Slavonic language as the liturgical language of the Catholic church in the Balkans and were aggressively suppressed by the Catholic clergy in Croatia and Slovenia.

Ante Pavelić's nationalism identified Catholicism with the Croat people, which was actively supported and interpreted by the clergy.

The second part of this book focuses on the establishment of the 1941–45 Independent State of Croatia (NDH), the active support extended to the state by the Catholic clergy, and the clergy's involvement and support in the extermination and/or forceful conversion of the Orthodox Serbs as well as the extermination of the Jews and the Roma people.

Novak bases his gloomy picture of the NDH and the wartime not only on written documents which, despite strict police measures found their way to the occupied capital, but also on personal narratives by some of his fellow prisoners in the Banjica konclogor.

Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac is portrayed in this book as an ardent Catholic crusader who publicly endorsed the establishment of the NDH, acknowledged the Ustashe as Croatian patriots, defended it before the Roman Pope and was responsible for the racist attitude and behaviour of his clergy.

Historians L. Hory and Martin Broszat wrote that the second part of this book, about the Independent State of Croatia crimes, was based on the Yugoslav state commission whose role was to investigate the crimes of the occupying powers and their Ustashe accomplices in World War II and the Croatian Catholic Church press.

English language edition

This edition, except from being an English language translation of the 1948 edition, contains two new chapters - XIV. Ecclesia militants at war with the ideology of Tyrš, and XV. Libellus accusations, both omitted in the original version under the pressure of Josip Broz Tito's OZNA chief Maks Baće.

Chapter XIV is about the Sokol Society (Falcon), founded in Prague in 1862 by Jindřich Fügner and Miroslav Tyrš. The goal of the Sokol Society was to revive and enhance the national awareness and promote mental and physical health of the Czech people through sports and moral education. The idea soon gained a pan-Slavic character, and Sokol organizations were later established in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Poland, and Russia. The Sokol movement had full support from Strossmayer, then Bishop of Đakovo. After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary and the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1918, and under the leadership of Lazar Car, Croatian Sokol societies were united with Serbian and Slovenian Sokol clubs into a large Sokol Alliance on 15 June 1919.

The separatism-prone Croatian clergy forced Croatian Sokols to leave the Yugoslav Sokol Alliance in 1919–20, fueling internal conflicts within the Alliance on political grounds. At the same time, high Catholic clergy established the Orlovi (Eagles) clerical organization with the aim of taking youths away from the Alliance. The Croatian Catholic Church rejected the pan-Slavic idea of bringing together Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim believers under the motto that "a brother is dear regardless of his faith". The two Catholic organizations, Orlovi (Eagles) and Katolička Akcija (Catholic Action) were a main base of this resistance to the idea of Yugoslavism, brotherhood and religious tolerance. The Catholic Church's resistance to this idea of pan-Slavism led the Polish Sokols to abstain from the international All Sokol Rally held in Prague in 1926.

Chapter XV, titled Libellus Accusations, is about a few Croatian clergymen who were followers of Strossmayer's idea (namely, that to serve people means to serve God). The most prominent among them was Frano Ivanišević, a national fighter and promoter of Old Slavonic Church language as the language of liturgy in the Croatian Catholic Church. He demonstrated that a Catholic priest serving his people would not be against his Church and faith.

Reception

The earliest international surveys of the book are the ones written by Russian S. Troicky (1949) and the Swede Oscar Neumann (1950). Neumann stressed three things particular to this book: the role of Novak in spreading and defending the idea of Yugoslavism, the abundance of documents used to support the book content, and the imbalance in tone, stating that "Some passages have been written by a scholar in a dignified academic gown, in other parts of the book the author assumes the role of public prosecutor." The abridged edition of this book published in 1960 in Sarajevo was reviewed in the Yugoslav journal of history, Istorijski glasnik, that same year by Yugoslav historian Branko Petranović, and the same review was echoed in the Historical abstracts.

William Bundy gave a short survey of this book, the full text of which is: A Yugoslav historian's lengthy indictment of clericalism in Croatia over the past half-century. The latter half of the book, covering the period of "independent" Croatian state of Ante Pavelić on the basis of a wealth of material from many sources, pays particular attention to the role of Archbishop Stepinac.

There is a number of authors who left short negative notes about the book. These include John R. Lampe (the book is not impartial), John Neubauer (commissioned by the communist authorities) or completely rejecting it, Robin Harris (as slanderous, anti-catholic).

Hubert Butler used Magnum Crimen as a starting reference for his research about the Croatian Society of St. Jerome in Rome and its support to the Ustashe during the Second World War and after.

The book has seven full editions, and one abridged where the full 1986 edition was released with a foreword by Jakov Blažević.

The most recent, 2011 edition, translated into English, was published in two volumes, and includes two chapters which had been excluded from all earlier editions of this book, which, according to Serbian historian Vasilije Krestić, were censored upon the request of two Croatian communist leaders, Vladimir Bakarić and Maks Baće. As reported by the Serbian daily Politika, the publication of the English language edition was financed by a schoolmate of Milorad Ekmečić, who also wrote the foreword to the edition. According to the same article, the publication of the English translation was coincided with the Croatia's lawsuit against Serbia in front of the International Court of Justice, so that "the world would be informed about Ustashe crimes against Serbs during the Second World War".

See also

References

  1. Ljetopis Jugoslavenske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti by Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, Zagreb 1979, pages 58, 673-4
  2. Schmidt, Amy (1995-07-30). "Tito, Yugoslavia's demise distorted". Washington Times. p. B7.
  3. Viktor Novak:Magnum crimen: pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj, Volume 2, Svjetlost, 1960 p. 28
    ... a Santo Officio stavio djelo na Index librorum prohibitorum, zacijelo žaleći samo što pisca njegova ne može da izvede na lomaču, da i s njime upriliči jedan monstruozno svečani Auto da fe, Actus fidei, ...
  4. Rivelli 1998, p. 102:
    Loin de se repentir, donc, le Vatican s'est tu. L'auteur d'un ouvrage sur ce massacre, le Dr Viktor Novak, historien yougoslave d'origine croate, a vu son œuvre, Magnum Crimen, publiée à Zagreb en 1948, à l'Index librorum prohibitorum en même temps qu'il était excommunié.
  5. ^ Petranović, Branko - Viktor Novak: " Velika optužba (Magnum Crimen). Pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj", Istorijski glasnik, Sarajevo 1960 br. 3-4, pages 160-165
  6. ^ Eric H. Boehm: Historical abstracts, Vol. 9, American Bibliographical Center, Santa Barbara, Calif 1964. page 89
  7. published as Magnum tempus: ilirizam i katoličko sveštenstvo : ideje i ličnosti, 1830-1849 by Novak, Viktor; Nova knjiga, Belgrade, 1987
  8. published as Josip Juraj Strossmayer: apostol Jugoslovenske misli by Novak, Viktor; Savez sokola kraljevine Jugoslavije, Belgrade, 1941
  9. ^ Neumann, Oscar (1950). Novak, Magnum Crimen - pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj in Journal of Central European Affairs, Volume 10. Boulder CO: University of Colorado. pp. 63–65.
  10. Magnum Crimen , page 9: Stadler je istaknuo, da će hrvatstvo moći biti spašeno jedino pod vođstvom hvatskoga episkopata. Nadbiskup Stadler održao je ovaj znameniti govor, koji je toliko puta kasnije citiran i označivan kao najmisaoniji i najdalekosežniji program, na drugoj svečanoj sjednici, i oduševio je svu prisutnu "preuzvišenu, presvijetlu i ostalu visokocijenjenu gospodu", kojoj se obraćao povišenim tonom, kad god je naglašavao vezu između hrvatstva i katolicizma
  11. Magnum Crimen , pages I-XV
  12. Richard West: Tito and the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia, Faber & Faber, Nov 15, 2012, Chapter 6. First Clashes with the Chetniks
  13. Magnum Crimen , pages 158-159
  14. Magnum Crimen , page XIV
  15. Magnum Crimen , page 257: Uvođenje starog slavenskog jezika u bogosluženje katoličkih Hrvata Strossmayer je punih pet decenija smatrao kao jedno od sredstava za zbližavanje zapadne s istočnom crkvom. Napori Strossmayera, koje je on učinio za te ideale u Rimu, Petrogradu, Beogradu i na Cetinju, ogromnih su razmjera.
  16. Magnum Crimen , page 9 Dr. Ivan Šarić: Mi smo Hrvati i katolici i to hoćemo da budemo. Zato se sastadosmo da pred cijelim svijetom izjavimo, od kojega nam mnogi ne daju, da se zovemo Hrvati, a drugi nam hoće da krate da smo katolici.
  17. Jozo Tomasevich: War and Revolution in Yugoslavia: 1941 - 1945, Stanford University Press page 549 "In contrast, Novak lists hundreds of Catholic priests who supported and worked with Ustashas."
  18. Richard West: Tito and the Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia, Faber & Faber, Nov 15, 2012 Chapter Notes
  19. Magnum Crimen , page 551: Stepinac in his speech (complete - on pages 150-151) on April 10, 1941. Odazovite se stoga spremno ovom mom pozivu na uzvišeni rad oko čuvanja i unapređenja NDH. Poznavajući muževe koji danas upravljaju sudbinom hrvatskoga naroda mi smo duboko uvjereni, da će naš narod naići na puno razumijevanje i pomoć. Mi vjerujemo i očekujemo, da će Crkva u uskrsloj Državi Hrvatskoj moći u punoj slobodi naviještati neoborive principe vječne Istine i Pravde.
  20. Magnum Crimen , page 545 Katolički list" saopćuje, da je tom prigodom nadbiskup izrazio ne samo svoja čestitanja za obnavljanje NDH, nego je istodobno izrazio i svoje žaljenje povodom smrti njegovoga brata Petra Kvaternika, koji je kao ustaški odmetnik poginuo u borbi sa regularnim trupama jugoslovenske vojske u Crikvenici, u trenutku kada je objavljivao u tom mjestu NDH i odcjepljenje od Jugoslavije.
  21. Magnum Crimen , page 887 U već spomenutom memorandumu papi Piju XII., nadbiskup Stepinac, zalaže se za tu monstruoznost NDH, i njen upravni aparat kao za "produženu ruku Gestapoa i Ovre", pošto smatra (18. V. 1943), da se radi "o paklenom planu uništenja katolicizma na istočnoj strani Jadrana koju pripremaju neprijatelji Crkve u tim krajevima". Da bi bio što uvjerljiviji, nadbiskup Stepinac je čitav niz ustaških zločina pripisao naprosto partizanima, a zločince svećenike nastojao da odbrani od optužbi koje su doprle do samog Vatikana.
  22. Magnum Crimen , page 939. Msgr. Binički in "Razbojnička pećina": Mnogi su sladokusci zamjerali Ocu Domovine (tj. Anti Starčeviću) što je poznatu pasminu (tj. Srbe) nazvao "vlaškim nakotom". Kao da Vlasi nisu ljudi, van živine, koje se kote. Tko dobro luči, dobro uči. Treba dobro razlučitu stare hrvatske Vlahe - pastire od smeća što su ga Turci sa svih strana zgrnuli u ostanke drevne kraljevine Hrvatske.
  23. Ladislaus Hory, Martin Broszat: Der kroatische Ustascha-Staat 1941-1945, Walter de Gruyter, Jan 1, 1964 page 10 see here
  24. ^ Radisavljević, Zoran (22 March 2012). ""Magnum crimen", ipak, putuje u svet". Politika (in Serbian). Belgrade. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  25. Magnum Crimen Two omitted chapters from the book
  26. ^ Velika optužba (Magnum crimen) by Viktor Novak, Svjetlost Sarajevo 1960 (abridged)
  27. William P. Bundy: Foreign Affairs Bibliography by Council on Foreign Relations, Archibald Cary Coolidge, Council on Foreign Relations, Hamilton Fish Armstrong - vol. 57, no. 3 - page 340
  28. Ideologies and National Identities; Lampe, John R; p. 79.
  29. Neubauer, John (2004). History of the literary cultures of East-Central Europe. John Benjamin Publishing Company. p. 164. ISBN 90-272-3452-3. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  30. Harris, Robin. "On Trial Again". Catholic Culture. Trinity Communications. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
  31. Hubert Butler: Independent Spirit: Essays, Macmillan, Jun 15, 2000 page 485
  32. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/3602287/editions?editionsView=true&referer=di
  33. Novak, Viktor (1986). Magnum Crimen - pola vijeka klerikalizma u Hrvatskoj. Belgrade: Nova Knjiga. p. ix-xvi.
  34. Viktor Novak: Magnum Crimen: Half a Century of Clericalism in Croatia : Dedicated to the Known and Unknown Victims of Clericalism Volume 1, Gambit, Jagodina 2011, ISBN 9788676240487
  35. Viktor Novak: Magnum Crimen: Half a Century of Clericalism in Croatia : Dedicated to the Known and Unknown Victims of Clericalism Volume 2, Gambit, Jagodina 2011, ISBN 9788676240494

Sources

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