Vatican and Croatia Clash Over Ownership of Monastery
Croatia, a traditionally Catholic society with strong ties to the Vatican, is at odds with the Holy See over a monastery located in the northwestern Istria region of the country.
The Djala monastery was built in the mid-nineteenth century and donated to the Benedictine religious order of Praglia prior to its confiscation by the communist Yugoslav government in 1948.
Under the Yugoslav communist leadership, which was governed through Belgrade, the monastery served as a nursing home to the elderly from the region. During the 49-year communist rein, the government had confiscated many properties owned by the church.
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Following the Yugoslav wars in which Croatia fought and eventually won its freedom and independence, the monastery was restored to the Croatian Diocese of Porec and Pula.
However, upon Croatia’s independence, Benedictine leaders in Italy have been demanding compensation for the property estimated to be worth about $30 million.
The Croatian Diocese has responded to the decade long demands of the Benedictine order that insisted that not only would compensation bankrupt their Diocese, but that the dispute was in fact settled in 1975.
Now, the ongoing dispute has led to a rare intervention by the Vatican to settle the disagreement.
The Pope, having been frustrated with recent negotiations that resulted in few modifications, appointed a special representative, Santos Abril y Castello, to step in for the local bishop of the monastery and make an agreement and authorize payment.
Pope Benedict XVI intervened and decided that the contested monastery which lies in the region that was formally a part of the Italian empire, should be returned to the Benedict community in Italy and that Croatia should also pay Euro 6 million in compensation.
However, Croatian authorities have refused to go along with the decision because both an agreement and compensation on the monastery was already agreed to in 1975 between Yugoslavia and Italy in the Osimo Agreements.
The agreements settled several property disputes between Italy and the then Yugoslavia.
Croatian Prime Minister, Jadranka Kosor, argued that international accords cannot be violated and many Catholics across the country feel that the decision is a biased attempt to trump international law.
Kosor has reached out to Pope Benedict XVI in a letter addressing the situation. However, the Pope is currently on vacation in the Castel Gandolfo, and is not expected to respond to Kosor until September following another trip to Spain.
