THE LEGISLATURE ON RELIGION DURING THE KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA

Predstavljeni su uslovi u kojima je Kraljevina Jugoslavija rešavala složeno pitanje položaja crkava i verskih zajednica, koje su do ujedinjenja delovale u različitim i često suprotstavljenim pravnim i političkim sistemima. Politički dogovori konkretizovani su kroz ustave u kojima nije primenjeno moderno načelo o odvojenosti crkva i verskih zajednica od države. Izvršeni državni udar uspostavio je novu političku realnost obeleženu promovisanjem koncepcije državnog i nacionalnog jedinstva. Evidentan uticaj verskih zajednica na različite slojeve stanovništva doprineo je njihovom uključivanju u ostvarivanje nove politike, iz čega je proizašlo donošenje posebnog zakonodavstva i intenziviranje pregovora sa Vatikanom o usvajanju konkordata, radi uređivanja položaja Katoličke crkve. Doneti zakoni jasno pokazuju da su crkve u određenoj meri uspele da eliminišu uticaj države i obezbede samostalnost u rešavanju svih pitanja direktno povezanih sa očuvanjem i poštovanjem unutrašnjeg poretka. Opšta koncepcija zakona ne daje za pravo ni jednoj strani da se proglasi za pobednika, jer je režim na prikladan način ostvario kontrolu nad konfesijama i eliminisao nedozvoljen koncept državne crkve, uz zadržavanje rešenja o crkvama i verskim zajednicama kao javnim ustanovama od posebnog značaja.This paper illustrates the conditions under which the Kingdom of Yugoslavia solved the complex issue of the position of churches (denominations) and religious communities, which up to the period of Unification (the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes), functioned under different and often opposing legal and political systems. Political agreement was made more concrete through the existing Constitutions in which the modern principle of the separation of church and religious communities from the State had been neither applied nor realized. The executed coup d\u27état inaugurated a new political reality characterized by its promotion of the concept of state and national unity. The visible influence of religious communities on various social strata within the population contributed to their participation in the implementation of the new policy, as a result of which a special legislature was passed and the negotiations with the Vatican on the adoption of a Concordat, in order to regulate the position of the Catholic Church intensified. The adopted Laws clearly show that churches had, to a certain extent, succeeded in eliminating the influence of the state and in turn ensured independence in the resolution of all issues directly related to the respect of and safeguarding of the existing internal order. The general conception of the Laws did not give warranty to either side for proclaiming itself victorious, because the regime had in an appropriate manner achieved control over the existing confessions (denominations) and had eliminated the impermissible concept of a State Church, while retaining, at the same time, the solution under which churches (denominations) and religious communities had been given the status of Public Institutions of Special Significance