Zagreb, (IKA) – According to tradition, the Crusader Organization organized a formal commemoration of Pope’s Day on Friday, March 13, in the Vijenac Auditorium of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute in Zagreb. The commemoration was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Alessandro D’Errico. It was held under the auspices of the Moderator of the Archdiocese, Msgr. Nedjeljko Pintarić, who was Cardinal Josip Bozanić’s delegate to the celebration, and the Head of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute, Dr. Josip Šimunović. In the introductory part of the commemoration, a photographic presentation reviewed the most important events during the second year of the pontificate of Pope Francis, followed by a program of prayer introduced by the Rector of the Zagreb Cathedral and General Spiritual Advisor of the Crusader Organization, the Most Rev. Josip Kuhtić.
Greeting those assembled, the President of the Crusader Organization, Darijo Burjan, recalled that this year marks the ninetieth anniversary of the birth of the idea of celebrating Pope’s Day in Croatia, which occurred on the occasion of a pilgrimage made by the Blessed Ivan Merz to Rome during the Jubilee Year 1925. In 1927, the Blessed Ivan explained this as follows: “…in the Church I see a clear picture of the beloved Savior and God Jesus with all his perfections, and in the Holy Father in the circumstances of a man I see my God and my Lord.” “Let us ask ourselves whether we see the Pope in that way, whether we succeed in recognizing Christ in the Pope,” said Burjan. He also commented on Pope Francis’ style, which is specific in comparison to those of his predecessors. By his approach, he arouses great interest in the faith and the Church, even from people who are not believers. With such an approach, Pope Francis conquers. By his own example, he speaks to all, from cardinals and bishops to the most ordinary believers, “giving us messages in a form that cannot be simpler or sounder,” said Burjan, and recalled how the Pope addresses people, how he approaches people so that he encompasses all generations, all levels of society, and each of us individually feels that the Pope is speaking personally to us. He is one of us. He does not exalt himself but shows that we are all equally worthy.
Prof. Dr. Stjepan Baloban delivered a lecture entitled The Pontificate of Pope Francis: Why Do We Resist Changes ‘From Above?’ He pointed out that the two years of the pontificate of Pope Francis have presented believers, priests and, especially, theologians with numerous challenges, various questions and, most of all, the conviction that the Pope “from the end of the world” has raised numerous ecclesial issues that in past decades for various legitimate and less legitimate reasons had remained peripheral, were unanswered or even, due to “a type of powerlessness,” were “swept under the rug.” In the last ten or fifteen years, the Church has spent a great part of it creative strength and energy defending itself against mainly unsubstantiated attacks from the secular media and, thus, lost not only standing and credibility in the society but also among the faithful, members of the Church, according to Baloban, who pointed out that Pope Francis in two years had succeeded “not only in stopping this negative trend but with his specific style and messages, won over the modern discerning person and suddenly made the Church newly interesting and, I would dare to say, an indispensable factor in resolving numerous current issues, including relations among religious communities and general relations in the world.” He recalled that Pope Francis is increasingly winning over those who had distanced themselves from God and the faith; those who were only baptized and have long ago forgotten when it was, as well as contemporary seekers who in their sincere searches have still not found an answer to their primordial questions. “He does all of this in his specific, we can say, different manner than seen up to now. In addition, the witnessing style and speech of Pope Francis wins people over, is attractive to the media, so that politicians and those in power cannot remain indifferent, especially when Pope Bergoglio without any kind of hesitation or equivocation, reveals the causes of poverty in the world, the ‘economy of exclusion.’ After two years of the Pontificate of Pope Francis, it could be said that the current Holy Father encourages change in the Church ‘from the top down,’ beginning from the Church officials, pastors, religious… and we find ourselves in the Year of Consecrated Life. Pope Bergoglio provides an ongoing example, does not give up and it seems has no intention of desisting. How do Catholics accept the possibility of such changes ‘from the top down’? How do Croatian Catholics accept them? The Official Church in Croatia? Can we say after two years of the pontificate of Pope Francis that changes in the contemporary Church are possible ‘from the top’? This largely depends on al of us, on the official representatives of the Church and the lay faithful,” said Baloban.
A lecture entitled Pope’s Day from John XXIII to Francis through the Priesthood of Msgr. Marijan Radanović was presented by Dubravka Beljan. She pointed out with pride and joy that the Blessed Ivan Merz brought Pope’s Day to Croatia through the Croatian Eagles (Hrvatski orlovi). The Crusaders can say that through the years it was preserved by Msgr. Radanović, the Pastor of Our Lady of the Snows in Dubovac. She recalled how Pastor Radanović taught the Crusader slogan Sacrifice–Eucharist–Apostolate to generations of the young. He taught with a wonderful sense of ecclesiasticism, unity and devotion to the Pope. One of the aspects of such an education was the commemoration of Pope’s Day, in which he included children, young people and parishioners. Speaking about the celebration of Pope’s Day for the pontificate of John XXIII, Beljan said that the commemoration was held after Mass, and that she had participated in the recitation of gratitude to the Holy Father. During the pontificate of Paul VI, the celebration was planned as a commemoration, after which there was a lecture on the importance of the papacy and about popes to whom Croats are indebted. Beljan particularly pointed out that when speaking about a current pope, Pastor Radanović never forgot to mention previous popes. He always emphasized the importance of Pope John XXIII for launching the Second Vatican Council as well as the importance of Pius XII, whom many in the regime of that time judged unfavorably due to his alleged failure to condemn Nazism. However, the Rev. Radanović proved that the very opposite was the case, which he substantiated with documentation. He also stressed that Pius XII understood what was happening in what was then a communist country and included Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac in the College of Cardinals. It was with special joy that he spoke about the election of the Polish Pope. Owing to the Rev. Radanović, we quickly learned much about the new Pope, who immediately somehow became ‘ours’ The Rev. Radanović followed the election of Pope Francis with prayers from his sickbed, and with tears in his eyes repeated ‘Pope Francis, Pope Francis, our Church needs a Francis for these times,'” recalled Beljan. “With the arrival of democracy, the Rev. Radanović strongly advocated the formal commemoration of Pope’s Day in Croatia at the national level, to be organized by and according to the tradition of the Crusader Organization,” she said, and reminisced about one of the celebrations at which the auditorium of the seminary on Šalata was filled. Those attending included Cardinal Franjo Kuharić and the first Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Giulio Einaudi, who was surprised by the commemoration, which had been prepared with so much love as a sign of devotion to the Pope. “And here, it is the first Pope’s Day without our Rev. Marijan. We believe that he celebrated it in the joys of heaven. We shall preserve his memory by continuing the tradition that he kept alive for years, despite everything,” concluded Dubravka Beljan.
After the lecture, a letter of congratulations to Pope Francis on the occasion of the second anniversary of his pontificate, written on the behalf of the Crusader Organization and all attending the commemoration, was read aloud and presented to the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Alessandro D’Errico. Addressing those assembled, visibly moved by the demonstration of devotion and love for the Holy Father, the Nuncio referred to the directives and instructions that Pope Francis issues through diplomatic representatives in the world that exhort the Church to be the Church of his dreams, a “missionary Church.”
The Tambura Ensemble of Zagreb Seminarians participated in the musical part of the commemoration, as well as students of the Albe Vidaković Institute of Church Music of the Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb. The program was conducted by Valentina Štivičić.