The Church in Transitional Processes After Communism

Abstract

The author presents the phenomenology and analysis of the dominant transitional processes after the collapse of the communist system, as reflected in the Church; the new position of the Church and the new tasks it faces. Firstly, on the general level of the world: a new world order needs to be created. The great ideas and powerful social ideologies that challenged and corrected each other in the bipolar world have disappeared from the scene, revealing that they were not as unnecessary as they seemed. After it became clear that the socialist project was unachievable, the liberal model of world organization increasingly fell into crisis. Its deficiencies are now more clearly visible. There is a renewed search for one's identity, both national and religious. The awakened spirit of nations is explosively expressed in post-communist countries. A great moral crisis emerges. The author then specifically discusses the main processes in the so-called transition countries: the shift to private ownership and the socio-ethical difficulties associated with it, as well as the new position of the Church in relation to the state and the public. The expectations of the people from the Church and the realistic possibilities for the Church to meet them are addressed. In conclusion, he emphasizes that this is merely a starting point for deeper analyses.