Dear readers, dear HKLD members!
In this issue of Glasnik, we bring you three articles written on the occasion of the forum “Contemporary Aspects of Marriage and Parenthood” held in March of this year, organized by HKLD and the Center for the Study of the Relationship between Science and Religion, Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Sciences, University of Zagreb. Three respected professors of the University of Zagreb, two lawyers and one doctor, warn that negative social trends are collapsing modern marriage and parenthood, but they emphasize that we should not surrender to them, but through institutions, but also through the social engagement of believers and lay people, to promote the positive aspects of marriage and parenthood. These articles are accompanied by an article by a young student of bioethics from Rome, who talks about family and parenting in the context of theology and spirituality.
Another scientific and professional gathering organized by the HKLD was held this year in Split on the topic of “Gambling: Throwing the Dice of Challenge to Theology and Medicine”. Gambling addiction is one of the growing addictions in Croatia, which is why we thought it important to talk about this topic, and the report from this meeting held on the occasion of the International Day of Conscience is brought to us by Doris Žuro from the KBF in Split.
At the end of May in Đakovo and Vukovar, members of the Board of Directors of the European Federation of Catholic Medical Societies (FEAMC) gathered for their regular annual meeting, and on this occasion HKLD, in cooperation with FEAMC, organized an international conference on the topic “Professional and ethical challenges in medicine during war conflicts”. About seventy participants from 13 European countries took part in the conference, as well as lecturers from Croatia who presented to the international public the excellence of Croatian medicine and the suffering of health institutions during the Homeland War, during which Croatian health workers played an important role in preserving the functionality of the health system, and at the same time endured heroic efforts in providing care to both soldiers and civilians, often also to those from the enemy side. In addition to extensive reports with accompanying photos from this gathering already published on our Society’s website ( www.hkld.hr ), you will also find a shorter contribution at the end of this issue of Glasnik.
From the international activities of the past quarter, in this issue we bring you a comprehensive report from the HKLD national pilgrimage to Poland, as well as a feature on the visit to Croatia of the honorary life president of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Societies (FIAMC), Dr. José María Simón Castellvíja, with his wife and group doctor from Barcelona.
In addition to the interview with Ivan Matoš, a member of the Section of Doctors of Dental Medicine of the HKLD, with whom we spoke on the occasion of the Section’s 10th anniversary, we present his view of ethics in the dental profession and biomedical research from the perspective of a doctor of dental medicine.
In this issue, we remember our first priest, Mons. Dr. Valentin Pozaić on the first anniversary of his death, which was marked by a memorial mass in the worship space of Blessed Alojzij Stepinac, led by Msgr. Tomislav Suboticanec, vicar general and moderator of the Archbishop’s Spiritual Table of the Zagreb Archdiocese, in concelebration with numerous priests and in the presence of a large number of theologians, members of the HKLD and the family of Bishop Pozaić. May the memory of dear Bishop Pozaić remain a permanent inspiration for further promotion of HKLD’s activities in Croatian society, as well as the international community of Catholic health workers in which he enjoyed a great reputation.
We begin this issue with the news that on Saturday, May 25, 2024, Pope Francis received the president of the HKLD in an audience at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. In a conversation with Pope Francis, Prof. Čivljak presented the work of the HKLD, referring in particular to this year’s international activities of our Society, after which the Holy Father sent a blessing to all members of the HKLD, blessing the rosary brought by the Croatian pilgrims from Poland. And this meeting with the Holy Father is a sign of the Catholic Church’s great support for the activities of the Croatian Catholic Medical Association.
Greetings in Christ!
Assoc. prof. Ph.D. Rok Čivljak, MD.
