Zagreb Academics Oppose Catholic Faculty Merger

Students and some of the staff at Faculty of Humanities and Social Studies, FFZG, in Zagreb are opposing the faculty's idea of introducing merged studies with Zagreb's Catholic Faculty of Theology, KBF, alleging that it discriminates against students on the basis of religion.

Tomislav Pletenac, a professor at the FFZG's department of ethnology and cultural anthropology, told BIRN that he opposes the contract between the faculties because of the KBF's overt religious orientation which he claimed discriminates against non-Catholic students.

"I would like to point out the fact that on enrolment to the KBF, besides preliminary exams, candidates are asked for their baptism certificate and the recommendation of the local vicar," Pletenac said.

"Some of our students from the FFZG who would maybe be interested in taking course at the KBF would be prevented from doing so," he added.

He explained that students from the FFZG would be further discriminated against because the KBF's students, if they are applying to be a teacher or professor of Catholic religious education, only need the recommendation of a bishop and do not enter open competitions for positions, like all other staff.

Students who are given such positions also get the opportunity to teach other courses at the FFZG without having to pass through a selection procedure, giving them a more favourable position on the labour market, Pletenac argued.

He also pointed out that the FFZG follows the rules of the university, while the KBF partially follows Catholic canonical law.

"A good part of our courses have content that will certainly offend the Catholic faith in that sense. Primarily, I have in mind courses focusing on postmodern theories, theories of deconstruction or...