Đakovo, (IKA/TU) – On September 6, 2014, the bishops of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, in solidarity with persecuted Christians in Iraq and those affected by the warfare in Ukraine, urged all the faithful to offer their prayers on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14, 2014, for peace in these countries, whether communally or individually in churches, chapels or with their families.
Accordingly, Archbishop Đuro Hranić of Đakovo-Osijek requested all the pastors and rectors of the churches in the Đakovo-Osijek Archdiocese to announce that Sunday, September 14, will be a special day of prayer for peace in Iraq and Ukraine, and said that the following message should be read in churches:
Bearing in mind the grave state of war and traumas that we ourselves endured in the recent past, now occurring in two countries, Iraq and Ukraine, where the war zones have experienced all the dangers and horrendous suffering of innocent people, the Croatian bishops have decided to call for prayer for all those enduring the turmoil and suffering of war. The bishops, therefore, ask the priests, religious, all lay faithful and people of goodwill to pray fervently for peace in Ukraine and Iraq on Sunday, September 14, 2014, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. May our humble prayers, through the merits and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the infinite value of the Cross, help ardently desired freedom to shine on the persecuted Christians in Iraq and throughout the world. May stability and peace be restored to the troubled inhabitants of Ukraine.

The Archbishop also asked for the following invocation to be added to the Prayer of the Faithful on Sunday, September 14, 2014: Heavenly Father, look with your love upon the great suffering of the persecuted Christian faithful in Iraq and other countries, restore peace to the war-torn Ukraine and allow everyone to experience consolation and salvation through the redemptive power of Christ’s Cross, we pray to thee.