Charles Balic (; 9 December 1899 – 15 April 1977) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Mariologist. Friar Charles Balić was a famous theologian, specializing in the figure and works of

John Duns Scotus John Duns Scotus ( ; , "Duns the Scot"; – 8 November 1308) was a Scottish Catholic priest and Franciscan friar, university professor, philosopher and theologian. He is considered one of the four most important Christian philosopher-t ...

, and Rector of the

Pontifical University Antonianum The Antonianum, also known as the Pontifical University of Saint Anthony (, ), and as Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum, is a Franciscan pontifical university in Rome named in honour of Anthony of Padua. It is located in the Rione Esquiline Hill, Es ...

of Rome. He was the founder of the

Pontifical Academy of Mary The Pontifical Academy of Mary (, , PAMI) is an international pontifical organization tasked with promoting mariology. The academy is one of the Pontifical academy, Pontifical academies at the Vatican in Rome. The PAMI also has the task of coord ...

and President of the International Scotistic Commission. He was the principal redactor in the editing of the chapter VIII of the

Lumen gentium , the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council. This dogmatic constitution was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on 21 November 1964, following approval by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2 ...

with "De Beata" redaction. He has been important for the ecumenical mariology. Balic is considered as one of the top representative of the " Marian movement" in the 20th century: his appointment was conclusive for the proclamation of the dogma of the assumption.

Biography

Karlo Balić was born in the village of Katuni near

Šestanovac Šestanovac may refer to: * Šestanovac, Croatia, a village and municipality in Split-Dalmatia County * Šestanovac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a village near Velika Kladuša {{geodis ...

, Croatia. Entering the Franciscan Order in 1917, through the province of the Most Holy Redeemer of Dalmatia, he was ordained to the Priesthood in 1923. Successively, he was sent to Louvain from where he received a Doctorate for a thesis on

Mariology of the 13th and 14th centuries. Returning to Croatia, he served as lecturer in his Province until 1933, when he was sent to Rome to begin teaching in the new Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum, where he gave his Inaugural Class, which was to become the beginning of his career. He later became the Rector Magnificus and had the Our Lady of the Assumption hall built. Antonio Piolanti recalls Balić as “a titan of a man, built almost on an abyss of contrasts - a great soul of unlimited horizons and immense desires. A type of coincidentia oppositorum was easily detected in the vigorous spiritual physiognomy of this worthy son of strong and gentle Croatia: the heart of a child and Hieronymic impetus, the tenderness of a mother and authoritativeness of a leader, acute and penetrating intelligence, resolute and fiery determination, warm generosity and Dantesque indignation”.

President of International Scotistic Commission

He was entrusted with the International Scotistic Commissionbr>
to which he gave such a new impulse that he was considered a re-founder. He drew up, in fact, a new "way" for the critical edition of Scotu

Opera Omnia.

Founder of the International Marian Pontifical Academy

Charged by the Order to preside over the Commissio Marialis Franciscana, he founded, in 1947, the

br>
an entity for the coordination of all the Mariology Scholars of the world.

Assumptionist Congresses

Through the academy, Balić began a series of Congresses on the Assumption of Mary, Assumption which prepared the dogma of the Assumption: Rome 1947, Lisbon 1947, Madrid 1947; Montréal 1948; Buenos Aires 1948; Puy-en-Velay 1949; USA 1950.

Pontifical Commission for the dogma of Assumption

Balić participated actively as a member of the Theological Commission appointed by Pope

Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

for the proclamation of dogma and the redaction of

Munificentissimus Deus ''Munificentissimus Deus'' () is an apostolic constitution published in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. It defines ''ex cathedra'' the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the first and thus far the only ''ex-cathedra'' infallibl ...

document.

International Mariological Marian Congresses

Seeing the valuable contribution to theological research by the International Marian Mariology Congresses, presided over and organised by Balić, the Holy Office entrusted him with the preparation of the document De Beata, to be presented to the Fathers of the II Vatican Council. During the whole of the council period, Balić showed he was one of the most active and useful experts, cooperating in the redaction of chapter VIII of Lumen Gentium. In 1975, in the Aula Magna of the Antonianum on the occasion of the Mariological Congress, Pope Paul VI thanked and gave homage to Balić for all he had done in the name of the Order for the good of the whole Church. ConPaoloVI

Scotistic Congresses

Balić has organized the Scotistic Congresses: Rome (1950), Oxford-Edinburgh (1966), Vienna (1970), Padua (1976)

Influence in the Vatican II

Balić has been as expert during the Council Vatican II. He has worked in the editing of the chapter VIII of the

. The editing of the mariological text prepared by the Saint Office that will influence the editing of the chapter VIII of the ''Lumen gentium'' has been compiled by Balic.

Influence in the mariology

With Father

Gabriel Roschini Gabriel Maria Roschini, OSM (December 19, 1900 – September 12, 1977), was a Roman Catholic Italian priest and professor of Mariology, who published over 900 titles on the subject. During the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, he worked closely with ...

he was a represented of the “maximalists”. Balić and Roschini's dream of having the mediation of Mary proclaimed shattered the conciliar halls. Recalling the strenuous battle conducted during the Council in defense of the Marian privileges, Father Balić, eyes bright with pain, said to Piolanti one day: “It was there that all my work was wrecked”. The attack against the maximalists was the publication of the book ''La question mariale'', by Laurentin, in which the “Marian movement” was presented as “a problem”. Laurentin's book was refuted by a great mariologist, the jesuit Father De Aldama, at the request of Father Balić and Father Roschini, who in turn intervened in the polemics with a booklet called “The so-called Marian question”.G.M. Roschini, ''La cosiddetta “questione mariana”'', Vicenza 1963.

Notes

An austere, simple, kind and straight person, and tireless worker and lover of the Rule and Franciscan life, Balić was a studious Friar, investigator, writer and developer of publications and of congresses, having as themes the medieval Franciscan authors. His remains lie buried inside the Mediatrix of All Graces Church in his native Katuni. Pope

Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

«in sign of benevolence and appreciation than he had developed in the Church» wrote from him an autographs Letter ''Laetifica prorsus''.

Selected publications

* ''Theologiae marianae Ioannis Duns Scoti ad fidem codicum editio'', Louvaine 1926. * ''Theologiae marianae scholae franciscanae saeculorum XIII et XIV fontes critice stabiliuntur et doctrina exponitur'', Louvaine 1927. * ''Kroz Marijin perivoj'' (“Hortus marianus”), Šibenik 1931. * ''Joannis de Polliaco et Joannis de Napoli quaestione s disputatae de immaculata Conceptione B. Mariae Virginis'', Instituti theologici Makarensis, Sibenici, 1931. * ''Ioannis Duns Scoti, Doctoris Subtilis et Mariani, Theologiae Marianae Elementa'', Sibenici 1933 * ''Tractatus de immortalitate B.V. Mariae'', Ed. Pontificia Academia Mariana Internationalis, Roma 1948. * ''Testimonia de assumptione B.V. Mariae ex omnibus saeculis. Pars prior: ex aetate ante Concilium Tridentinum'', Ed. Pontificia Academia Mariana Internationalis, Roma 1948. * ''Testimonia de assumptione B.V. Mariae ex omnibus saeculis. Pars altera: ex aetate post Concilium Tridentinum'', Ed. Pontificia Academia Mariana Internationalis, Roma 1950

References

Sources and external links

Pontifical Marian Academy
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Balic, Charles Friars Minor Mariology Catholic Mariology Education in Rome 1899 births 1977 deaths Croatian writers 20th-century Croatian Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Roman Catholic theologians Religious writers Scotism Croatian Roman Catholic theologians Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni