Zagreb, (IKA) – At the conclusion of the magnificent celebration of the Mass at the Zagreb Hippodrome, on behalf of the assembled faithful, the President of the Croatian Conference for the Family, Bishop Valter Župan of Krk, thanked the Holy Father and said: “This multitude before you firmly adheres to the doctrine of the inviolability of life, marriage and the family, which you fearlessly proclaim. That is why we came here today, to testify to you that this has been our commitment for centuries, upon which we have decided to build our future.”
The long and difficult periods of history, during which the Croatian nation was the bulwark of Christianity, have been weathered “because our families were founded upon the solid values of the gospel, so we were like a house built on rock that does not collapse when storms come, of which there were, indeed, many. There are also storms today.”
Bishop Župan added: “We are aware that marriage and the family are being threatened today by the undermining of their stability. Forms of living together are being promoted that have no basis in the European cultural and legal heritage. It is precisely upon the stability of the family and Christian values that civilized Europe and Croatia, which has always been an integral and inseparable part of Europe, were built. We are firmly convinced that our future is based upon these foundations.”
Requesting an apostolic blessing, the bishop concluded that the faithful have the inalienable right for children to be able to call their parents the natural names of “mother” and “father.” “They have the natural right to declare before everyone that they have a father and mother who have given them life. We have this right and we want those who govern to promote life and eventually amend the law, from what we want to believe is the past, on the termination of human life, and not call that which leads to death progress.”