The 43rd Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, chaired by Msgr. Marin Srakić, Archbishop of Đakovo-Osijek and President of the CCB, was held from October 18 to 20 in Varaždin. The following guests participated in the session: the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Msgr. Mario Roberto Cassari; the Bishop of Srijem, Msgr. Đuro Gašparović; the delegate from the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Auxiliary Bishop of Banja Luka, Marko Semren; and the Bishop of Subotica, Msgr. Ivan Penzes.
Welcoming all the members of the CCB present and guests, the President of the CCB asked the Apostolic Nuncio to convey expressions of devotion and gratitude to the Holy Father Benedict XVI for his unforgettable visit to our Church and Croatian homeland. He also extended greetings to the absent Msgr. Dražen Kutleša, the newly appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Poreč and Pula, expressing the wish for the Lord will give him the gifts of wisdom and strength in his new office. Archbishop Srakić also mentioned the recently deceased Msgr. Slavomir Miklovš, Vladika (Bishop) Emeritus of Križevci, who had been a member of the CCB.
The President of the CCB noted that since the last regular session, the Holy Father Benedict XVI had visited Croatia and a special session devoted to this visit was held on July 12. In addition, he spoke about the completion of the renovation of the pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Voćin, the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the Eucharistic miracle in Ludbreg, the dedication of the Church of the Croatian Martyrs in Udbina and the beatification of the Drina martyrs in Sarajevo.
Archbishop Srakić also said that following the special session in July, there were difficult days full of challenges for our Church in connection with the Dajla case.
During the working portion of the session, the first presentation was on the topic of the new evangelization and missions in the capitals of Europe and delivered by Cardinal Josip Bozanić. The new evangelization is an important issue for all the bishops’ conferences of Europe, and some countries have already done much in this respect. In response to a question asking what new evangelization actually is, the cardinal said that the new evangelization is primarily the implementation of the missionary calling of the Church and consists of approaching those who have drifted away from the Church and lost their Christian identity, as well as the immigrants on our continent who are not Christians. All of this requires radical pastoral and existential changes, stressed the cardinal, cautioning of challenges to the Church and society from the new evangelization. As the bearers of the new evangelization, Cardinal Bozanić mentioned the family, Catholic schools and various movements and communities. There is disagreement regarding who are the primary target groups for the new evangelization but certainly the family, young people and the media have priority, emphasized the cardinal and concluded that there is no new evangelization without openness toward the work of the Holy Spirit, for which it is necessary to pray constantly. The cardinal then presented a specific initiative in the area of the new evangelization by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. Namely, during this pastoral year, especially during Lent 2012, Mission Metropolis will take place in 12 European capital cities: Zagreb, Barcelona, Vienna, Budapest, Brussels, Dublin, Cologne, Lisbon, Liverpool, Paris, Turin and Warsaw. The initiative has two basic elements. One concerns regular ministry, with particular attention to Christian education and overall formation, while the second concerns the simultaneity of activities in the aforementioned cities. The originality of the initiative is in the unity of the local churches and the simultaneous fulfilling of its mission and issuing of concrete signs, which will start in the cathedrals. These signs rely on the word of God and the continuous reading of the Holy Scripture, particularly the Gospel according to Mark. Then there will be diocesan youth catechesis, celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, charitable campaigns and topics of spirituality and culture connected with the works of St. Augustine. The initiative will come from the cathedrals, due to their great symbolic significance, from which it will spread to the parishes. The intention is to enter deeper into the living faith, affect all areas of life and discover everything that faith brings into our lives.
A presentation at the session on the pastoral-legal provisions regarding Masses for special intentions was given by Dr. Slavko Zec, a professor at the Faculty of Theology in Rijeka.
At the conclusion of the first day of the session, the bishops celebrated the Eucharist in the Varaždin cathedral, which was conducted by Archbishop Srakić. The homily was delivered by Bishop Nikola Kekić of Križevci. After the Mass, the members of the CCB were received by the County Prefect of Varaždin, Predrag Štromar, and his associates. The Mayor of Varaždin, His Honor Zlatko Horvat, was also present at this meeting.
The second day of the session began with the case of Dajla. The bishops agreed upon a statement in which they manifested their love, respect, devotion and obedience to the Holy Father, thanking him for the attention he had personally devoted to the events connected with the relations between the Benedictines and the parish of Dajla. The bishops continue to emphasize that they recognize the merits of the Benedictines during their presence, ministry and social work in the monastery of Dajla. In order to calm the tensions that have arisen, they recognize that the decrees adopted by the Holy See, in order to reach a solution to the canon dispute, have attempted to return matters to within the framework of truth and justice, to the extent possible. Referring to some media assertions, the bishops cautioned that the conclusions presented by the mass media that the Holy See or even the Holy Father is using the case of Dajla to somehow Italianize Croatia are completely unfounded. The bishops support the fervent desire of the Holy See for the unexpectedly arisen difficulties to be gradually resolved by a mutual approach to effective community and fraternal ecclesial cooperation. At the end of the statement, the bishops emphasized that the entire Croatian episcopate accepts the new pastor sent by the Holy Father to Msgr. Milovan in the Diocese of Poreč and Pula as coadjutor, and express to him their closeness and respect in the exercise of his sensitive new office. The bishops also appealed to the faithful to accompany the journey of the Church in our homeland with their prayers.
Regarding the pastoral emphasis of the Pope’s speeches during his fourth visit to Croatia on June 4 and 5, there was a presentation by a professor from the Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, Msgr. Luka Marijanović. He analyzed all the Pope’s speeches and concluded, citing the words of a theologian, that like Mozart’s music they reflect simplicity and depth. Presenting the speeches in the order in which they were delivered, Msgr. Marijanović particularly emphasized the incentives arising from them. Thus, the Pope told the young that Christian faith is joy based upon friendship, especially friendship with Jesus Christ. In this world of deceptive joys, the young should be encouraged to find genuine joy in God. At the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb, the Pope cautioned that the society and, thereby, the culture depend upon conscience. A society without a conscience is no longer a society that is based upon truth, good and justice. Such a society, as the Pope likes to repeat in his reflections, turns into a big band of thieves (St. Augustine). In speaking about conscience, the Pope mentioned the relationship between culture and religion, which are mutually dependent. Religion, including, Christianity, represents an important factor in society, insofar as it guides a person through the formation of his conscience to God, truth and good, which should be the foundations of every culture and society. Without listening to the truth and the good, society cannot make progress; instead it regresses and becomes subject to the logic of the stronger, interests and profits. In the Pope’s remarks to families, he warned that the crisis of the family is a crisis of God. The family has ceased to be a “little Church” and does not pray or celebrate the sacraments. A rebirth of the family will only occur if the family opens itself to God.
Speaking in the Zagreb cathedral to persons consecrated to God, the Pope emphasized that vocations do not derive their power from projects, pastoral guidelines or organizations but from the greatest possible conformity to Jesus Christ, as practiced by the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac.
At the session, the Pastoral Guidelines for the Apostolate of the Lay Faithful in the Church and Society in the Republic of Croatia were accepted and presented by Archbishop Ivan Devčić of Rijeka, President of the Council of the CCB for the Laity. Archbishop Želimir Puljić of Zadar presented the proposed guidelines for the Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in Rome from October 7 to 28, 2012, on the topic New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith. The bishops decided that the CCB delegate to that synod would be Bishop Đuro Hranić, with Bishop Mate Uzinić as the alternate delegate.
A special session of the CCB will be held on January 23, 2012. The regular plenary sessions in 2012 will be held in Zagreb from April 17 to 19 and from October 17 to 19.
The bishops once again urged young people to prepare for the National Youth Encounter and attend in large numbers. The National Youth Encounter will be held in Sisak from May 5 to 6, 2012. The second colloquium for priests on pastoral catechesis will be held from March 6 to 7, 2012, in Zagreb.
On November 18, 2011, there will be a commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the fall of Vukovar and a Day of Remembrance for the victims. On this occasion, the celebration of the Eucharist will be conducted by Archbishop Vinko Cardinal Puljić of Sarajevo.
The presidents of the individual bodies of the CCB submitted reports on their areas of activity. Delegates were appointed from the CCB to attend the sessions of other bishops’ conferences in 2012.