Rome, (IKA) – On Sunday, October 19, Mass was said in the church of St. Jerome in Rome to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the beatification of the Blessed Archbishop Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac of Zagreb. The Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljić of Sarajevo, in concelebration with Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, Archbishop Marin Barišić of Split-Makarska, Montenegrin Archbishop Zef Gashi of Bar, Albanian Bishop Lucijan Avgustini of Sape and approximately fifty priests, according to the Glas Koncila website.
The Roman celebration of the tenth anniversary of the beatification of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac was attended by a large number of Croatian religious, students and the faithful, including young families with children.
“Grateful to the Good Lord that we have lived to see the elevation of the Blessed Alojzije to the honor of the altar, with feelings of joy and gratitude I greet our cardinals, archbishops, bishops, diplomatic representatives, priests, religious, theologians and all of you faithful – venerators of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac. This evening we are assembled here as a religious community to thank the Good Lord, the source of every good, to direct our prayers to him and to seek comfort and strength from him that only He can give,” emphasized Msgr. Jure Bogdan, rector of the Croatian Pontifical College of St. Jerome.
Referring to the need for the missionary calling and its significance in the Church today, Cardinal Puljić mentioned the following during his sermon: “It is necessary to pray for enemies. It is much more pleasant to preach than to take this test in life. When the moment comes when life so requires, we are tested on how faithful we are to Christ and the gospel. That is why I admire him and he will certainly remain an inexhaustible source of inspiration to live according to and proclaim the gospel. Therefore, I would like today in a special way, as we thank the Blessed Alojzije, as we are inspired by this magnificent person, for us also to understand our own time. This is a gift to us. We should live in our time with all our hearts as witnesses, evangelists, to show who is in the first place in my heart, my life. Is the love in myself such that I am able to forgive, to pray for enemies? This is a missionary calling. I would not be saying this to you today if I had not taken the test, both during and after the war. He was a shining figure at that moment when I myself had to take that test, to pray for enemies, looking at those bloodstained faces and at what the evildoers were doing, and separate the evil from the sinner. Thank you, dear Beatus, for this testimony. It meant a great deal to me and therefore I want to preach it and urge others to become inspired so that we at this time can be credible in testimony and proclamation.”
Following the Mass celebrated in the church of St. Jerome, the titular church of Cardinal Josip Bozanić, there was a presentation of the cardinal’s most recent book, The Blessed Alojzije Stepinac – A Legacy with Obligations, jointly published by Glas Koncila and Kršćanska sadašnjost.
At the presentation, the speakers included the head of Glas Koncila, the Rev. Nedjeljko Pintarić, who spoke of the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the beatification of the Blessed Stepinac in Zagreb and technical details about the book; Msgr. Jure Bogdan, the rector of the Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome, who discussed the significance of Bozanić’s sermons on the Feast of the Blessed Alojzije; the ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Holy See, Emilio Marin, who placed Bozanić’s sermons among the current topics of contemporary historians and publicists; and the archbishop of Split-Makarska, Marin Barišić, who spoke about the continuity of the preaching of the Zagreb archbishops about Stepinac in the Zagreb cathedral, from the pulpit of which the Blessed Stepinac was not able to preach during the last fifteen years of his life.
Those present were also addressed by the author of the book, Cardinal Bozanić. Thanking everyone who collaborated on the preparation of his book and its presentation, the cardinal emphasized that Stepinac’s example continues to inspire the Church in Croatia.
A musical contribution to the presentation was made by the choir of priests of the College of St. Jerome, conducted by Don Mihael Prović. During the presentation, many photographs of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac were on display.