Assist. Prof. Vlatko Smiljanić, Ph.D., from the Department of Croatology and the Department of History, participated in the First International CePOZiR Conference (Center for the Study of the Relationship between Science and Religion), held from 24 to 26 September 2025 at the Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Zagreb.

The conference gathered distinguished scholars and researchers from 15 countries, focusing on topics related to the relationship between science and religion, religion and society, and science and society.

Presenters at CePOZiR 2025 represented universities and institutes from Croatia (University of Zagreb, University of Zadar, Ruđer Bošković Institute), Slovenia, Italy (University of Padua, Nuovo SEFIR APS), Poland (Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków), Bulgaria (St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia), Finland (University of Helsinki), Denmark (University of Copenhagen), Norway (NLA University College), the United Kingdom (Canterbury Christ Church University, Faraday Institute, Ulster University), the United States (Fuller Theological Seminary, Global Methodist Church), Israel, Greece (University of Ioannina), Romania, Slovakia, and North Macedonia (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje).

The rich programme featured three keynote speakers, nine invited lecturers, and over thirty presenters from various disciplines — ranging from the natural sciences to the humanities.

Assist. Prof. Smiljanić presented a paper titled “Mirko Danijel Bogdanić and Catholic Enlightenment in the Habsburg Monarchy,” in which he explored the work of one of the most prominent Croatian natural scientists of the 18th century.

In his presentation, he emphasized that Bogdanić’s scientific activities — spanning astronomy, mathematics, cartography, as well as journalistic and historiographical publishing — were inseparable from the intellectual milieu of Catholic Enlightenment. Particular attention was given to Bogdanić’s participation in astronomical and cartographic expeditions, his contribution to geographical mapping, and his initiative to publish the first newspapers in the Croatian language.

Through this analysis, Smiljanić demonstrated that science and religion within the Habsburg Monarchy could coexist in a complementary relationship, jointly shaping the space of Central European culture and identity.

Participation in this international conference provided an important opportunity for scholarly exchange and for presenting Croatia’s scientific and cultural heritage in an interdisciplinary context.

With his presentation, Assist. Prof. Vlatko Smiljanić, Ph.D., contributed to the ongoing discussion on the complex relationship between faith and science in early modern Europe, with particular emphasis on the Croatian intellectual tradition within the broader Habsburg framework.