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The paper explores the concise genealogy of the political liturgy of the contemporary democratic constitutional state, demonstrating how the symbolic and ritual, mythical and hierophanic feature of premodern political forms persists in transformed social and political conditions as a key element of the contemporary political order. Following the research into the political liturgy of Georges Balandier, Claude Rivière and Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg, as well as classical sources on the theory of the myth and ritual, such as the research of Mircea Eliade and Ernst Cassirer, the paper attempts to describe some of the key formative elements of political development, especially the transposition from premodern political forms towards the creation of modern political institutions, and their ritual and mythical foundation. In the paper, this shift and political change is compared with the concept of conversio morum, as a translatio religiae, and their use in a new political context and narrative. The author argues that modern democratic politics is strongly marked by the mythical and the ritualistic, despite the notion that the role of the mythical and the ritual had ended with the establishment of a political order that is legitimized through the rational realization of political goals and which does not seek reasons for its legitimation outside the political context. In doing so, the influence exerted by the Christian liturgy on the formation of the political liturgy of both pre-modern and modern political orders is particularly valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the 2011 and 2021 population censuses, the Archdiocese of Đakovo-Osijek lost 78,885 Catholic believers or 16.88%. The demographic decline is particularly evident in rural parishes. The demographic decline, the rural exodus, i.e., the mass departure of the rural population to the cities and richer countries of the European Union, have been greatly changing and influencing the value-identity-religious structure of rural parishes. The paper starts with an exploration of the demographic breakdown and goes on to identify the emerging characteristics of parishes in the countryside and points to new circumstances in pastoral work. Thus, the third part of the paper elaborates on four pillars around which and on which it is necessary to build contemporary pastoral care in rural parishes; insufficient number of priests, synodality, subsidiarity and co-responsibility, and fostering a culture of meeting in pastoral activity, specifically the design of new pastoral units structured by several rural parishes that have become active centres of socio-cultural, neo-traditional »new-rural« religious life, based on capillary and categorical pastoral approach, to create religious cohesion and new religious identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to reflect on the essence (nature) of democracy, which is widely considered the best form of government. Although democracy is generally considered to be a kind of unquestionable value, there is no agreement on the answer to the question of its essence. The author seeks to outline the answer to that question in the light of the philosophy of Jacques Maritain, a great French philosopher and one of the most famous Thomists and personalists of the 20th century. Maritain also considered democracy to be the best form of government because it is the most adequate to the dignity of the human person, which is created in the image of God. For Maritain, democracy therefore reflects trust in human nature, and he sees the Gospel’s spirit of freedom and the hope of the Gospel’s brotherhood as the essence of democracy. The paper assumes that the true knowledge about the nature of democracy is a kind of antidote to antidemocratic and totalitarian aspirations. Maritain calls for democracy of a personalistic and pluralistic type, and opposes it to the modern, liberal and individualistic understanding of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores contemporary challenges related to the development of artificial intelligence and its influence on theological-anthropological reflection. The main idea is oriented to the analysis of the transhumanist movement with its promises of cybernetic immortality and the enhancement of the human species. Starting from some characteristics of that movement, the author analyses its implications for Christian anthropology. The paper is divided into three parts. The first chapter, »Some characteristics of the transhumanist era«, analyses transhumanism as a transhumanism as a melioristic philosophy in which the Promethean challenge can be easily recognized. The second chapter entitled »Artificial intelligence and/for a new understanding of man« explains the monistic and dualistic approach to human reality and seeks to answer the question of whether a machine can think. The issue of dataism as the belief that organisms are algorithms that can be controlled is highlighted here. The power of data would lead to the supremacy of artificial intelligence that is attributed with divine properties. The third chapter, »Man’s creation in the image of God versus the creation of artificial intelligence in man’s image« deals with the key theological-anthropological question about man’s value and specificity. Various interpretations of man’s creation in the image of God are firstly explored, followed by an analyses of the sense in which artificial intelligence can be considered as a creation in man’s image. The concluding part brings some theological thoughts, at the centre of which is the danger of idolatry and the question of the inviolable dignity of man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is based on a research of more than 200 catechists from a total of five southern (arch)dioceses. The aim of the study was to examine the susceptibility of catechists to work-related burnout, to investigate their perception of the level of social support and to examine which topics they wish to address at professional meetings. The catechists participated in the research on voluntary and anonymous bases during the 2023 conference organized the Education and Teacher Training agency, the Catholic Faculty of Theology at the University of Split and five (arch)diocesan catechetical offices. The obtained results were analysed individually, collecting data on self-assessment of workrelated burnout and social support provided by the relevant headmaster, catechetical office and spouse of the respondent. The results were presented in an anonymous and collective manner. Methods of descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Based on the results of the research, it is evident that the catechists in five southern (arch) dioceses do not display worrying levels of work-related stress and that they feel they receive a satisfactory level of social support from their relevant headmasters, catechetical offices and spouses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), penetrating nearly every aspect of human life, from culture and arts to education, healthcare, social issues, economics, politics, and daily life, presents new challenges and opportunities. However, it also carries significant risks with far-reaching consequences. Beyond facilitating daily activities and enhancing the quality of life, AI could pose threats to privacy, mental health, and family relationships, exacerbate social and economic inequalities, and potentially be misused in surveillance and military applications, thereby leading to tragic outcomes for the humanity and the planet. In its role as Mother and Teacher, the Church cannot remain indifferent when a new vision of humanity is being forged and the future of Earth and mankind is shaped. Recognising her role in the rapidly changing world of technology and AI, the Church underscores the responsible use of technology aligned with the Divine will and for the benefit of all humanity, particularly those in the greatest need and the most impoverished. The paper showcases the scenarios of AI development and the importance of ethical guidelines for all participants in this process, and how Church teachings from Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, to Pope Francis, as well as various Vatican institutions, respond to the new ethical challenges posed before the humanity by AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]