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Zagreb, (IKA, 28th May 2003)
— Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, the president of the Croatian
Conference of Bishops, commenting on the perspectives that
forthcoming third visit by Pope John Paul II to Croatia should open,
noted that the Holy Father says that all the pastoral activity of
the Church should be focused on the program of holiness in the
broadest sense of the word and that the Pope regularly proclaims
saints and blessed ones on his pastoral visits in order to show that
holiness is present in the Church. At a press conference held on May
28 at the Secretariat of the CCB in Zagreb, Archbishop Bozanić
announced that one of the main themes of the Pope’s visit will be
the family. In Dubrovnik, the Pope will speak about holiness and the
relationship between religion and culture. In Osijek and Đakovo,
located in the easternmost Croatian Diocese, there will be
ecumenical dialogue: the Holy Father will meet with representatives
of other Christian faiths after the celebration of the Eucharist. In
the opinion of Archbishop Bozanić, this meeting will improve the
entire ecumenical atmosphere in our country. For the Pope’s visit to
Zadar, on the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, there will be
emphasis on the Marian dimensions of our Church, said Archbishop
Bozanić.
The vice president of the CCB, Archbishop Ivan Prenđa of Zadar,
announced that one of the themes in Zadar will be new
evangelization, the new attempts in the field of evangelization
being implemented in Zadar through Church movements.
The archbishop of Rijeka, Ivan Devčić, expressed his joy that Rijeka
will host the Holy Father on the fifth day of his visit, pointing
out that during the remaining preparatory period it is necessary to
devote more attention to the family, because the fundamental
institution of the family is in crisis today. He mentioned that the
Rijeka ecclesiastical territory is the only one in Croatia that Pope
has not visited yet. Noting that the Holy Father will be celebrating
Pentecost in Rijeka, Archbishop Devčić said that the Pope wants to
encourage us to be more open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
and to approach the future with greater courage.
In reference to the media coverage of the preparations for the
Pope’s visit, Archbishop Bozanić said that the media has followed
the preparations from the beginning but there are various criteria,
so that some important aspects are not being covered adequately
while peripheral aspects receive media prominence. Regarding
television coverage, Archbishop Bozanić noted that the programs on
the Pope are being broadcast late at night, when few people are
watching television.
In response to a question on the financial calculations for the
Pope’s visit, Archbishop Bozanić said that each organization costs
something but this question should be asked of those who invited the
Holy Father, the Church and the Government, who see no problems in
this respect. However, Archbishop Bozanić asked his own question:
when the Pope leaves, how much will individual cities and the entire
country benefit from his visit, even in the material sense? Croatia
will be in the news from June 5 to 9 during the visit by the Holy
Father, and this is a great boon for Croatia on the cultural,
international and even tourist plan.
Auxiliary Bishop Vlado Kosić of Zagreb spoke about the feast of Our
Lady of the Stone Gate (Majka Bozja Kamenitih Vrata), the patron
saint of Zagreb, on Saturday, May 31, when there will be a
liturgical celebration of the Year of the Zagreb Metropolis in
commemoration of its 150th anniversary. A High Mass at 10 a.m. in
the Zagreb Cathedral will be concelebrated by Archbishop Bozanić,
together with the bishops of the metropolis, to be followed by a
procession with a picture of Our Lady of the Stone Gate leading to
the Upper City. At this liturgical celebration, Central European
Catholic Days will be inaugurated, which will conclude on May 22 and
23 of next year in Mariazell.
The national coordinator of the Pope’s third visit to Croatia, Msgr.
Vjekoslav Huzjak, general secretary of the Croatian Conference of
Bishops, presented a detailed report on the preparations for the
visit by the Holy Father and two visits by the Vatican delegation to
Croatia, as well as the work of the commissions that have been
established by the Church and Government, which are either working
together or in close collaboration.
Commenting on the signed contracts between the Holy See and the
Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Bozanić stated that these contracts
provide a good foundation for relations between the Government and
the Church. They have been signed, they are in force and to a large
extent are being implemented, which is an indication of our
democratic awareness. Everything that has been agreed upon has not
been implemented yet but the task is before us, said Archbishop
Bozanić, explaining that the Catholic Church is prepared to speak
about the ways to help the Government implement the undertaken
obligations. He added that the Church wants to be a participant and
aware of the challenges and difficulties. Regarding material goods,
the Church seeks them in order to fulfill its mission as well as
possible. In reference to the initiated campaign that seeks to
forbid stores from operating on Sundays and holidays, Archbishop
Bozanić pointed out that this is primarily a campaign by citizens
who, with the assistance of Croatian Caritas and other
organizations, have become involved. He expressed the opinion that
this campaign has helped citizens to realize that they can use
certain means and exert influence on the organization of their own
lives. In response to a question on the privatization of the
insurance company Croatia Osiguranje, Archbishop Bozanić commented
that this initiative did not come from the Church but from the
public and the official representatives of the authorities. He added
that the Church is prepared to assist the Government implement the
obligations from the contracts, because the Government of Croatia is
required to do so before the Croatian and European public. He
pointed out that the initiative concerning Croatia Osiguranje came
from Government officials, and the Croatian Conference of Bishops
will discuss this matter. |
