The Dodirni mi koljena Initiative Denies Reconciliation with the Kneelers
“No unity or reconciliation with religious fundamentalists has been achieved, nor is it possible,” stated the Dodirni mi koljena Initiative, which organizes counter-protests to the public worshippers, in response to media reports that both sides entered Rijeka Cathedral on Saturday at the invitation of Archbishop Mate Uzinić.
In an Instagram post, the Initiative emphasized that only a minority of those praying in public spaces entered the church alongside the counter-protesters.
“Except for a few individuals who either entered the church on their own or did so in coordination with the rest of their organization as a kind of scouting mission, the majority remained outside St. Vitus and refused the Archbishop’s invitation to join his Mass, which we accepted,” they said in the post.
They stressed that by doing so, the worshippers “sent a clear message that their public kneeling has nothing to do with religious practice but is a political act.”
“There is no dialogue among us; police cordons stand between us because they protect the patriarchy,” the Initiative explained, adding the message: “Neither servants nor mistresses.”
As a reminder, in January the Archbishop decided that on every first Saturday of the month, after Mass, prayer would continue in the cathedral and everyone would be invited to join. The Dodirni mi koljena Initiative responded to this invitation, as announced on Friday.
“Starting this Saturday, we are ending the counter-protests because the kneelers have changed their intentions. The focus of their public messages is no longer directly aimed at women as subordinate, which we consider a political and social victory,” the statement said, noting that this change is “the result of years of pressure, resistance, and persistent activism by women and allies across Croatia.”
In December, Archbishop Uzinić highlighted the importance of prayer that ennobles rather than provokes, saying that the latter “is a defeat for us men, who even in the spirit of these prayers, show authority through violence toward others.”
