A fellow student described Franjo Šeper as a disciplined and methodical person: he never said too much, but what he did say was measured and clear.
II · How we remember him
Contemporaries
His contemporaries, from different periods of his life, describe Cardinal Šeper in carefully chosen words.
A fellow studentRome
Cardinal Franjo Kuharićthen a seminarian
As rector of the Archdiocesan Theological Seminary in Zagreb, he was described by one of his students, the future Cardinal Franjo Kuharić, as serious and conscientious in his duties, yet close to the students. Because he was simple and approachable, students spoke with him without nerves: whatever the subject, the conversation was always human, humane.
The conversation was always human, humane.
as recalled by Cardinal Franjo Kuharić
Trnje, 1951–1954
Franjo Šeper’s encounters with the parishioners of Christ the King in Trnje, Zagreb, where he served from 1951 to 1954, showed his exceptional compassion for poor families, whom he also helped.
Alojzije Stepinacas told to Vraneković, parish priest of Krašić
When Šeper was consecrated archbishop, Stepinac told Vraneković, the parish priest of Krašić, that the Archdiocese of Zagreb was now in safe hands.
Zagreb, 1960–1969
As Archbishop of Zagreb, in times unfavourable to the Church, he was cautious but also inventive: he knew how to make pastoral work possible despite the restrictions, and organised churches in flats across Novi Zagreb.
At that time he asked candidates for the priesthood for a solemn promise not to join the regime’s professional association of priests, because he had seen what the regime was capable of.
Despite times unfavourable to the Church, Šeper also knew how to build bridges, without compromising the faith but avoiding needless conflict.
Remete
The Carmelites, too, will always remember him with gratitude: as Archbishop of Zagreb he made possible the founding of the first Carmelite monastery in Croatia, at Remete in Zagreb, and for the first time entrusted them with a parish in Croatia, which they still run today.
The Council, 1962–1965
At the Second Vatican Council he stood out for interventions marked by a calming tone and a gift for finding common ground. He belonged to the moderately progressive current that prevailed at the Council and shaped the character of its documents. Cardinal Šeper held that the renewal of the Church does not mean abandoning doctrine, but understanding it more deeply and passing it on more easily.
He also took part in shaping the Decree on Ecumenism, the document that opened new doors to dialogue among Christians. He combined firmness in faith with readiness for dialogue.
Rome, 1968–1981
As Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to which Pope Paul VI appointed him in 1968, he proved a man who brought people together: a man of cooperation, of dialogue and of friendship among the bishops. Cardinal Šeper was not a man of drastic cuts, but he did not allow doctrine to be relativised: he talked, he listened to arguments, but once he had decided, the decision was final. Šeper’s “signature” on the documents of that time bears the mark of a balance between doctrinal clarity and pastoral care.
Mgr Vladimir Stankovićhis secretary of many years
According to his secretary of many years, Mgr Vladimir Stanković, Cardinal Šeper was at heart a true “Zagrepčanec”, a man of Zagreb: he loved Zagreb above all, though he had travelled the whole world.
He left quietly, as he had lived. Without pomp, but leaving a deep mark.
Cardinal Šeper is remembered as a guardian of the faith at a time when the foundations seemed uncertain. His life bears witness that the strength of the Church lies not in noise and conflict, but in calm and steadfast witness.
Faith is not a wall that separates us from the world, but a bridge that connects us to it.