Legal status of religious communities in socialist Yugoslavia

After the Second World War, Yugoslavia, like other Communist regimes, implemented the separation of church and state, coupled with an aggressive secularization that permeated all aspects of society. However, the Yugoslav model of state-religion relations diverged from the typical Communist approache...

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Main Author: Đukić Dalibor B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Law 2024-01-01
Series:Zbornik Radova: Pravni Fakultet u Novom Sadu
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0550-2179/2024/0550-21792402451Q.pdf
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author Đukić Dalibor B.
author_facet Đukić Dalibor B.
author_sort Đukić Dalibor B.
collection DOAJ
description After the Second World War, Yugoslavia, like other Communist regimes, implemented the separation of church and state, coupled with an aggressive secularization that permeated all aspects of society. However, the Yugoslav model of state-religion relations diverged from the typical Communist approaches in Eastern Europe. This paper analyzes this unique model by examining the in fluence of three key factors. The first factor is time. The Yugoslav state's approach to religion evolved over time, shifting from widespread persecution of believers and religious officials to a more cooperative stance, eventually leading to agreements that regulated the rights of specific religious organizations. This paper tests the thesis that, over time, the Yugoslav model gradually moved away from abolitionist system of complete religious freedom restriction towards a model of secular control over religious organizations with a strict separation of church and state. The second factor is territory. In the field of ecclesiastical law, it is widely recognized that identifying the model of state-religion relations within a single state can be a complex task, particularly in federations where the regulation of religious freedom is often devolved to federal units. This paper examines the extent to which the implementation of the Yugoslav model varied across different federal units, how these practices were reflected in legal norms, and what the causes and consequences of these differences were. Finally, the third factor is the subjects of religious freedom. While the principle of equal treatment for all religious organizations should theoretically apply in models of church-state separation, this was not always the case in Yugoslavia. The state's treatment of religious organizations was not uniform, and this paper explores how these dis parities were regulated and the underlying reasons for such practices.
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spelling doaj-art-25013837d39c46b48ceb353314b26d4b2025-01-08T16:52:38ZengUniversity of Novi Sad, Faculty of LawZbornik Radova: Pravni Fakultet u Novom Sadu0550-21792406-12552024-01-0158245146910.5937/zrpfns58-530070550-21792402451QLegal status of religious communities in socialist YugoslaviaĐukić Dalibor B.0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1447-7128Univerzitet u Beogradu, Pravni fakultet, Beograd, SerbiaAfter the Second World War, Yugoslavia, like other Communist regimes, implemented the separation of church and state, coupled with an aggressive secularization that permeated all aspects of society. However, the Yugoslav model of state-religion relations diverged from the typical Communist approaches in Eastern Europe. This paper analyzes this unique model by examining the in fluence of three key factors. The first factor is time. The Yugoslav state's approach to religion evolved over time, shifting from widespread persecution of believers and religious officials to a more cooperative stance, eventually leading to agreements that regulated the rights of specific religious organizations. This paper tests the thesis that, over time, the Yugoslav model gradually moved away from abolitionist system of complete religious freedom restriction towards a model of secular control over religious organizations with a strict separation of church and state. The second factor is territory. In the field of ecclesiastical law, it is widely recognized that identifying the model of state-religion relations within a single state can be a complex task, particularly in federations where the regulation of religious freedom is often devolved to federal units. This paper examines the extent to which the implementation of the Yugoslav model varied across different federal units, how these practices were reflected in legal norms, and what the causes and consequences of these differences were. Finally, the third factor is the subjects of religious freedom. While the principle of equal treatment for all religious organizations should theoretically apply in models of church-state separation, this was not always the case in Yugoslavia. The state's treatment of religious organizations was not uniform, and this paper explores how these dis parities were regulated and the underlying reasons for such practices.https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0550-2179/2024/0550-21792402451Q.pdfreligious communitiesfreedom of religionseparation of church and stateyugoslaviaconcordatthe pulpit law
spellingShingle Đukić Dalibor B.
Legal status of religious communities in socialist Yugoslavia
Zbornik Radova: Pravni Fakultet u Novom Sadu
religious communities
freedom of religion
separation of church and state
yugoslavia
concordat
the pulpit law
title Legal status of religious communities in socialist Yugoslavia
title_full Legal status of religious communities in socialist Yugoslavia
title_fullStr Legal status of religious communities in socialist Yugoslavia
title_full_unstemmed Legal status of religious communities in socialist Yugoslavia
title_short Legal status of religious communities in socialist Yugoslavia
title_sort legal status of religious communities in socialist yugoslavia
topic religious communities
freedom of religion
separation of church and state
yugoslavia
concordat
the pulpit law
url https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0550-2179/2024/0550-21792402451Q.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT đukicdaliborb legalstatusofreligiouscommunitiesinsocialistyugoslavia