Požega, (IKA) – On September 30, the tenth anniversarz of the founding of the Požega Diocese, over 20,000 of the faithful from throughout the diocese assembled in front of the Požega cathedral for the main Eucharistic celebration of the Second Eucharistic Congress of the Požega Diocese. This was the largest such event in this part of Slavonia since the establishment of the diocese. The Mass was concelebrated by 22 archbishops and bishops from several European countries, including two cardinals, Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb and Archbishop Vinko Puljić of Sarajevo. The Mass was led by the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Nikola Eterović. At the beginning of the celebration, Bishop Antun Škvorčević of Požega greeted those attending and said that the power of God’s love is present among us through the Eucharist, the victor over evil and death, which we do not want to relinquish and must not relinquish for our personal and collective Croatian good.
Msgr. Henryk Mieczyslaw Jagodzinski, the secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in the Republic of Croatia, read a message from Pope Benedict XVI to Bishop Škvorčević of Požega in which, among other things, it says that the Pope was present at this celebration in spirit and expressed the wish that this Eucharistic Congress, the culmination of the commemoration of the Požega Diocese’s tenth anniversary celebration, with the motto “Christ, today and always,” will strengthen the faith in the hearts of all with the actual presence of Jesus among us, provide an incentive for our frequent participation in the Holy Mass and adoration before the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar, and strengthen the community of all the faithful. During the homily, Archbishop Eterović pointed out that he sees “the Croatian history of nearly 14 centuries of fidelity to the Eucharist of the Lord, the Catholic Church and the Pope of Rome” in the light of Eucharistic devotion. “While we seek forgiveness for the sins of our nation, how can we not praise the Almighty Lord that we have remained in our own land? It is by the grace of God that we have survived such dramatic historical events in these territories. How many enemy armies have passed through this fertile Požega valley, coming from the East and the West, the North and the South? How many ruins have they left in their wake? Thank God that every time the Croat found the strength, which he drew from prayer, especially during the Mass, to rebuild the ruins, heal the wounds and transmit the torch of life to children, to new generations,” said Archbishop Eterović.
The archbishop then spoke about the apostolic exhortation of the “Sacrament of Love” by Pope Benedict XVI, in which, among other things, it is stated that every Catholic is called to realize the Eucharistic form of his or her Christian life, and in the first place must “live the Sunday obligation,” stressing how a Christian, among other things, is recognized by the observance of Sunday and holy days of obligation. He also spoke about the current discussion about work on Sunday in Croatia, saying: “How simple it would be to resolve many discussions regarding Sunday if all those who declare themselves to be Christians would not celebrate the Lord’s Day by going to stores but by going to church! Moreover, this concerns the Eucharistic consistency of the believer in personal, family and public life.”
Similarly, the Eucharist is an inspiration to Christians for charitable activity that has taken various forms throughout history but has remained an expression of Christian love and hope. It is precisely this hope that is needed by today’s faithful, especially by young people, so that they do not desist in the battle for the good, for God; for a better personal, family and community future, emphasized Archbishop Eterović.
At the conclusion of the celebration of the Mass, there was a procession with the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar through the streets of the city of Požega. The participants included the faithful who are members of various municipal associations; members of Church associations, organizations, movements and prayer communities; representatives of all the parishes of the Požega Diocese and various classes of the faithful who publicly bore witness to their faith in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus Christ, expressing gratitude and adoration to the Most Holy Sacrament.
After the procession returned to the area in front of the cathedral, the bishop of Požega prayed the concluding prayer of adoration, gratitude and devotion to Jesus Christ, present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
At a formal luncheon, words of greeting to the cardinals, archbishops and bishops, especially Bishop Škvorčević, were delivered by Minister Božo Biškupić, who said that the establishment of the Požega Diocese was an important event for the Church among the Croats but also for the overall public life of the Republic of Croatia. “By this historical act, a new diocese came into being that builds new forms of community, advances public and religious life many times over and promotes the values of the spiritual and material heritage,” said Minister Biškupić, adding that religion and culture have been and continue to be the backbone of the Croatian national being, which through the centuries has preserved the nation, woven its heritage and formed its identity.