Through healing of memory till reconciliation

In these reflections we want to emphasize important contributions to reconciliation of Zeljko Mardesic in his prophetic pleading for dialogue not only with the present but also with the past. He was deeply convinced that in the present one cannot do good while memorizing the evil of the past. In his socio-theological thought, in Gospel's perspective and a spirit of modesty and incorruptibility, Mardesic perseveringly recommanded and experienced the issue from a vicious circle of evil remembrances of the pre-modern era and the no-remembrance of the post-modern one through the epuration of memory linked with his own feeling of guilt and seeking of forgiveness, just in the spirit of appeals launched to all Christians by the pope John Paul II. In this respect, Mardesic's far-reaching attitude in our regions manifests itself entirely if we consider the fact that the history of peoples of the former Yugoslavia, especially those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was marked by a tragic discontinuity, i.e. that there one used to live in co-existential cultural ghettos with mostly sporadic economic communication. Thus, different people experienced and memorized the same history differently, what was valid even for diverse groups of the same people. From that stemed a mutual ignorance replaced by viewing through stereotypes. In order to finally put an end to this, it is necessary to begin a re-elaboration of the common past on the basis of a true historiography, liberated from myths, what is certainly impossible without readiness for epuration of one's own memory and remembrance, i.e. recognition of one's own guilt for sufferings of others. One of important impulses in our regions for this healing process has undoubtedly been given by Zeljko Mardesic who, as a genuine scholar, turned towards the freedom of science from myths and, as a true believer, turned towards liberation of religion from ideology.