Kaštel Štafilić, (IKA) – Croatian priests, pastoral associates and staffs from Croatian Catholic missions and communities in Western Europe held their annual pastoral meeting from October 5 to 9 in Kaštel Štafilić on the topic “Religion and Mental Health: How Religion, Psychology and Medicine Help,” organized by the Croatian Pastoral Office in Frankfurt am Main, and issued the following appeal to the Croatian public:
“We Croatian pastoral workers serving within the structure of the Croatian Catholic missions and communities in Western Europe have contact with over 600,000 Croatian Catholics who have emigrated from the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For decades, we have been virtually the only organization nurturing their religious, national and cultural identities. Croatian migration is unfortunately not a thing of the past but, on the contrary, has recently been increasing at an alarming rate, especially among young professionals and intellectuals together with their families. With sadness and concern, we have witnessed that many of our fellow countrymen leave the homeland lightly and without preparing themselves. Therefore, they often find themselves in intractable difficulties and then seek assistance from Croatian Catholic missions, communities and staff, which are unable to provide it to them.
Therefore, from the homeland authorities, we urgently expect the following: a positive attitude toward the Croatian diaspora and the full appreciation thereof, specific programs for halting further emigration and improving the disastrous demographic situation in the homeland, more active assistance to migrants by the embassies and consular offices of the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, facilitation of absentee voting and finding a better way to represent the diaspora in the homeland government, removal of the bureaucratic obstacles for potential investors in Croatia and creating return strategies with specific programs.”
On behalf of the organizers and participants in the annual pastoral meeting, the appeal was signed by the delegate for the Croatian congregations in Germany, Ivica Komadina.