Pula, (IKA) – In the Pula Arena, at a Holy Mass presided over by the Special Envoy of Pope Francis, Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Venerable Servant of God Miroslav Bulešić, a Croatian priest and martyr for the faith, was beatified.
After the singing of “Lord, Have Mercy,” the Bishop of Poreč and Pula, Msgr. Dražen Kutleša, asked the Papal Envoy to declare the Venerable Servant of God Miroslav Bulešić as Blessed, after which a brief description and biography of this Croatian martyr and candidate for beatification were presented. Bishop Kutleša emphasized that the only reason for the violence that led to Father Bulešić’s death was that the Servant of God was a Christian and priest. There is no other explanation, neither political nor ethnic. Therefore, his persecutors had no other motive to justify their crimes. Father Bulešić died a holy death, forgiving all his enemies and persecutors wholeheartedly. He offered his martyr’s life as a voluntary sacrifice for the Church of God, said Bishop Kutleša.
Cardinal Amato then formally read the Apostolic Letter from Pope Francis and proclaimed Father Miroslav Bulešić as Blessed. After the reading of the Bull in the Latin and Croatian languages, a large portrait of Miroslav Bulešić was unveiled. A reliquary of the new beatus, fabric soaked with his blood, was brought to the liturgical area by the brother of the beatus, Josip Bulešić. The reliquary was presented to the Bishop Emeritus of Poreč-Pula, Msgr. Ivan Milovan, whose mandate concluded with the process for the beatification of the Venerable Servant of God Miroslav Bulešić. Bishop Milovan presented the reliquary to Cardinal Amato, who blessed it and venerated it. Then, a large portrait of the beatus was unveiled and a flag was raised in his honor.
“We can say immediately that today’s beatification of Father Miroslav Bulešić, priest and martyr, is a celebration of peace over war, brotherhood over division, forgiveness over hatred, divine love over human malice. It is a positive message, evangelical, profoundly divine, that inspires our heart to do only good,” said the Papal Envoy during the homily. Stating that Father Miroslav literally lived Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors, Cardinal Amato said that the Blessed Miroslav Bulešić is a true hero of the Church in Croatia, which suffered violent persecution during the 1940s. “Historians say that in your dioceses, 434 priests (diocesan and religious) were barbarically murdered, and another 24 died from torture and suffering inflicted under inhumane prison conditions. It was a bloodbath. Of the Croatian clergy of that time, 17% were killed. Moreover, 73 seminarians, 22 lay brothers from various religious orders and 30 nuns were also killed. One name known throughout the world is that of the Blessed Alojzije Viktor Stepinac, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church,” said Cardinal Amato in his homily, testifying that the Church does not forget the courage and strength of these sons of hers and commemorates them with reverence and gratitude. In this context, the martyrdom of the Blessed Francesco Giovanni Bonifacio was mentioned, who was proclaimed a martyr in Trieste in 2008, and that of the Blessed Lojze Grozde, who was beatified in Slovenia in 2010, both of whom were murdered out of hatred for the faith.
“All crimes out of hatred for the faith are abominations but the circumstances of the murder of your Father Miroslav Bulešić are particularly loathsome,” said the Cardinal. “Human wickedness was vented on a helpless priest. The wolf tore the lamb apart. Hatred extinguished a human life, which is always precious, but this time twice as priceless because it was the life of a good man,” said the Papal Envoy at the Mass of Beatification, adding that the priests and faithful, while mourning Father Bulešić, also recognized him as a martyr for the faith. In the opinion of Msgr. Josip Pavlišić, former Archbishop of Rijeka-Senj, Father Miroslav was an authentic saint, a true martyr of Christianity. Several months after the martyrdom of Father Bulešić, Msgr. Božo Milanović said that the death of Father Miroslav was a heavy loss for the diocese. On that occasion, the Apostolic Nuncio to Belgrade at the time, Msgr. Joseph Patrick Hurley, said: “With the martyrdom of Father Miroslav, the Church has not lost but has won,” recalled Cardinal Amato.
Cardinal Amato then spoke of the priestly mission of Father Miroslav Bulešić and his commitment to pastoral work, for which he encountered opposition by the communist authorities. “It is well known that in 1945 at the end of the Second World War, there was systematic and ruthless persecution of the Church and priests in your country … Priests and the faithful were ridiculed. The gospel was mocked,” said Cardinal Amato, recalling that Father Miroslav courageously reported numerous instances of religious intolerance to the civil authorities. The Papal Envoy also recalled the Pope’s words in his Apostolic Letter, in which he called Miroslav Bulešić “a priest and martyr, diligent shepherd, ardent educator of the young and fearless witness of the gospel.”
Father Miroslav, mindful that his life was in danger during that tumultuous time, often repeated: “Lord, I give you my life completely for my flock. With your grace and if you make me worthy, I am not afraid of martyrdom but instead yearn for it.” As a priest, he was called to be a Good Shepherd and Good Samaritan, who through the remedy of love comforts, heals, elevates and binds up wounds that bleed.” He often repeated: “Hatred causes bleeding and love heals wounds,” said Cardinal Amato, and cited words from Father Miroslav’s spiritual last will and testament, in which he stated that he had done only good for his people and wrote: “My revenge is forgiveness.”
In the homily, Cardinal Amato also emphasized the love of the new beatus for the poor and his devotion to the leader of the Catholic Church. The new beatus reminds us to remain faithful to Jesus, his gospel of life and truth, said Cardinal Amato, adding that Father Miroslav was a man of faith, “who taught the great and small to live by faith. Today, he urges us to preserve our faith as our greatest treasure and not lose it in the world of ephemeral ideologies.”
According to estimates, the Mass of Beatification was attended by approximately 20,000 of the faithful who came from all parts of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Italy. The Mass was concelebrated by all the Croatian bishops, bishops from neighboring countries, superiors of religious orders and over 670 priests. A number of choirs joined together for the Mass and sang a hymn written in honor of the Blessed Miroslav Bulešić.
The color red, symbolizing martyrdom, and the motif of the lily, symbolizing purity and innocence, predominated during the Mass of the Beatification of Father Miroslav Bulešić in the Pula Arena.