Pamięć o pielgrzymkach i nauczaniu Jana Pawła II w Chorwacji

Formy i intensywność oddziaływania społecznego

Abstract

Croatia is considered a country where the memory of John Paul II is very vivid and somewhat unique. This is undoubtedly linked to the fact that the pope made three pilgrimages there and emphasized his strong connection to the country. The aim of this article is to show what forms this memory currently takes, 21 years after the Pope’s death and 23 years after his last pilgrimage to Croatia and how intense it is. The research method used to write this text was a survey conducted among residents of the Diocese of Zadar. The questions in the survey addressed four main areas: the dominant forms of memory regarding John Paul II’s pilgrimages and teachings in the consciousness of Croatians; the influence of the pope’s legacy on the religiousness and moral attitudes of the respondents, especially in the context of family upbringing; and material forms of commemoration, such as monuments, plaques, or street names finally, the role of the media and socio-religious organizations in preserving the memory of John Paul II. The first part of the article presents the socio-ecclesial context of John Paul II’s pilgrimages to Croatia; the second part presents the Pope’s teachings during these pilgrimages; and the third part analyzes the results of original research on the legacy of the papal pilgrimage to this country.