Zagreb, (IKA) – The Archbishop of Zagreb, Josip Cardinal Bozanić, sent the faithful an Easter essage, in which he stated: “Christ died for every person and for every nation, in order to establish a new nation that is born of water and the Holy Spirit.” By this, he did not suppress cultural particularities but allowed one nation of God to live with many faces in many nations. We are grateful to the Lord that he has formed our Croatian nation through the Gospel and Gospel values, emphasized the Archbishop of Zagreb.
This Easter, the cardinal especially wants to emphasize the reality of the community of believers, to be together in love, in which, in his opinion, seeking the good of the neighbor ought to prevail as a value that should be introduced into the Croatian society, building the unity of the nation and society based on the values of truth and selflessness. “We have this wealth in the treasury of the national being. It is not overly demanding to rediscover it and live by it,” said the cardinal, cautioning that it is important by the light of the Resurrected Lord to recognize that which introduces turmoil, strife and dissension into our midst. It is necessary to recognized conflicts in various areas of public life, which, unfortunately, in Croatia, due to new onslaughts of the selfishness of individuals and certain groups, we are increasingly confronting from day to day, said the cardinal. In his opinion, emphasis by the creators of Croatian public life on disunity and division in the tissue of the Croatian national being is a cause for concern, when it comes to national identity, education and fundamental issues of public life. “Is this what represents our Croatian reality or are they intentionally trying to convince us of it?” asks the cardinal, noting that it is important to bear this in mind when confronting contemporary issues in Croatian society, “when we see that certain conflicts are deliberately intensified, without permitting a look at the past in order to see the supporting values, or to the future, relying on deeper foundations than narrow material benefits that can easily be converted into the driving force for selfishness and conflicts.”
Explaining how the Holy Father promotes the path of solidarity, “in order for us to be builders of unity and through mutual love to transform the world,” the cardinal recommends that it is necessary to stride against the currents of perverse individualism that bring harm to the family, economy, financial system and politics. “Increasing numbers of people disappointed by public events are torn by feelings of helplessness and despondency. Therefore, it is necessary to change the manner of thinking and acting in the areas of labor, economy and politics in order to promote a society that is not merely a multitude of individuals but a solid community, in the promotion of such social relationships where the narrow selfish interests of individuals or groups, not uncommonly well protected by the authorities, are not in the first place but the general good of the entire social and national community,” said the cardinal, noting that the Church through its pastoral ministry shares with its people, as always, in this time when we are oppressed by crisis, their joys and hopes, sorrows and anguish. “Over six years have passed since the beginning of the severe economic-financial crisis, which has especially affected the area of labor. This is particularly felt by our young people, who upon the completion of their education cannot find work but also those who after many years and decades of work have been left unemployed, with family responsibilities. These citizens in our midst are being deprived of basic human rights, such as the right to work. This situation is worrisome and requires rapid changes, new solidarity and the unity of the entire society. The duty and task of all, particularly those in power, are to promote and accelerate growth and development, which will create new jobs,” states the Archbishop of Zagreb. He urges the faithful to be builders of renewed community in the Church and promote Christian solidarity in the places where they live. “May our faithful Catholic community be recognizable and effective in our Croatian society,” urged the cardinal, asking all the faithful to pray particularly for peace in Ukraine and to be in solidarity with the Ukrainian nation. “I wish everyone in the Church community and the human community a Happy Easter and pray for God’s blessing on every home and our entire Croatian homeland,” said the cardinal in his Easter greeting.