Zagreb, (IKA) – The Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops published a statement from the Thirty-Fourth Plenary Session of the CCB, which we hereby present in its entirety:
“Cardinal Josip Bozanić, archbishop of Zagreb and President of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, presided over the Thirty-Fourth Plenary Session of the CCB that was held in Zagreb from April 16 to 19, 2007. The active members of the CCB were joined during this session by Msgr. Francisco Javier Lozano, the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia; Msgr. Ante Jurić, the retired archbishop of Split-Makarska, and Msgr. Antun Bogetić, the retired archbishop of Poreč-Pula.
The session was also attended by delegates from several European bishops’ conferences: Msgr. Dino De Antoni, archbishop of Gorizia, the delegate from the Italian Conference of Bishops; Msgr. Viliam Judak, bishop of Nitra, the delegate from the Slovakian Conference of Bishops; Msgr. Marian Blažej Kruszylowicz, auxiliary bishop of Szczecin-Kamienna, the delegate from the Polish Conference of Bishops; Msgr. Andrej Glavan, bishop of Novo Mesto, the delegate from the Slovenian Conference of Bishops; Msgr. Franjo Komarica, bishop of Banja Luka, the delegate from the Bosnian and Herzegovian Conference of Bishops and Msgr. Janos Penzes, bishop of Subotica, delegate from the International Bishops’ Conference of SS. Cyril and Methodius.
The bishops sent congratulations to the Holy Father Benedict XVI from the session on the occasion of the second anniversary of his pontificate.
Opening the session, Cardinal Bozanić, the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, expressed his joy at the reunion of all the bishops of the CCB. He emphasized that this was a privileged occasion to strengthen a mutual sense of community, express pastoral concern for the Churches they preside over, for the heritage of faith and Catholic culture, as well as the current aspirations of our dear Croatia. Cardinal Bozanić emphasized that the thoughts and prayers of all present were directed to the Holy Father, who is celebrating his 80th birthday and who has guided the path of the Church during a relatively brief period with wisdom and with a firm hand, encouraging the joy of Christian life. In the recently published post-synodal Apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, which is related to his first encyclical, Deus Caritas est, the Pope emphasizes that thanks to the Eucharist, the Church is reborn ever anew and urges all in the Church to the path of Eucharistic spirituality and pastoral activity. Cardinal Bozanić announced that on Thursday, April 19, at the Zagreb cathedral, the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Msgr. Lozano would celebrate Mass in commemoration of the second anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict XVI, to be concelebrated by all the bishops of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.
Cardinal Bozanić greeted the apostolic nuncio, retired bishops and delegates from the bishops’ conferences of neighboring countries, whose presence clearly confirms the Catholic community with the Churches and nations that they represent.
He particularly greeted the new archbishop of Varaždin, Msgr. Josip Mrzljak, to whom he wished abundant Divine assistance and blessings in the performance of his new and responsible office.
He then commemorated the death of Msgr. Frane Franić, retired archbishop and metropolitan of Split-Makarska, whose funeral was held in Split on March 21. He thanked God for his engagement in the bishops’ conference and commended him to Divine Mercy.
Cardinal Bozanić then announced the main items on the extensive agenda. He greeted all those who would be following the work of the plenary session, particularly people from the media, and announced a press conference on Thursday, April 19.
Msgr. Lozano, apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, in his words of greeting particularly emphasized the bond between Croatian believers and the episcopate with the successor of St. Peter and the importance of the activities of the Catholic Church in the Croatian society, which is one of the essential factors of its identity.
All the delegates expressed gratitude for being invited, conveyed greetings and briefly reported at the session about the status of the Catholic Church in their countries as well as the social circumstances. This fraternal exchange of experiences revealed many similarities in the questions and tasks confronting the Church in European countries.
In the first reading, the bishops had a document that speaks about pastoral sacraments in the parish community. They discussed the spiritual-theological significance of sacraments in the life of the faithful and pastoral reflections on the building and enrichment of the community, and the manner of celebrating individual sacraments in the parish community. Particular attention was devoted to preparation for the sacraments, in which the entire parish community should be included, not just the individuals who are preparing for the sacraments. The bishops also discussed the difficulties and shortcomings in the preparation and administration of the sacraments that occur in practice and which should be corrected in order for the celebration of the sacraments to be freed of everything that conceals and obscures the merciful power of God’s love that is intrinsic to the sacraments. The document was sent for further refinement.
In this context, the bishops discussed several questions in connection with the new evangelization. First of all, it was pointed out that every bishop, as the pastor of his local Church, is responsible for all pastoral events, especially evangelical, in his diocese that occur within the framework of the parish as a community of communities. Pastors, in cooperation with their bishops, have the role of the coordinators of all the forms of Christian life joined in a single entity. In this aspect, the bishops discussed several current forms of new evangelization, particularly on the Neocatechumen path which is increasingly present in our Church. They concluded that there are many types of good fruits from their activities that enrich the life of the Church and give new hope for its future. The bishops stated that they carefully follow the development of this form of Church life, in the spirit of the guidelines from the authorized bodies of the Holy See, in order for the Neocatechumen path, in complete obedience to the Church decrees, particularly those regarding the liturgy, would contribute to the building of the Church, the Body of Christ, in all its beauty and richness. There are certain difficulties that all are aware of and that should be resolved in the spirit of ecclesiastical community and openness to the Holy Spirit.
The bishops also discussed the state of the soul of the contemporary person that is characterized, on the one side, by a certain indifference and secularization, while on the other side various religious movements and seminars indicate an aspiration and hunger for spiritual values. They concluded that in this area there are several forms of activities by priests and individual lay groups that take too little account of pastoral plans and the overall pastoral life of a particular diocese or parish. They pointed out that all such groups and campaigns should be prepared in agreement with the diocesan bishop or a responsible person authorized by the bishop.
From this plenary session, the bishops sent a letter-invitation to the priests of the Church in Croatia for a pilgrimage in Istria on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the martyred death of the Venerable Miroslav Bulešić, a priest of the Poreč-Pula Diocese, whom the communists killed in 1947 out of hatred for the Catholic Church. All priests, bishops and religious are invited to the pilgrimage in Lanišće and Svetvinčenat on Friday, August 24, of this year. On this occasion, the pilgrims’ prayers will also be for the more than five hundred priests who, like the Venerable Miroslav Bulešić, spilled their martyrs’ blood in their service to God, the Church and the nation, in various places of execution and prisons during World War II and the postwar period.
The bishops were also informed about the course of the preparations for the work of the Croatian Catholic University.
There was also discussion of the work and development of Croatian Caritas, a highly significant institution in the Croatian Conference of Bishops that through its activities and engagement demonstrates the ongoing concern of the Church for those in the greatest need. Several decisions were made for improving the operations and the administration of Croatian Caritas. The bishops stressed the importance of the campaign for Bosnia and Herzegovina that was initiated this year through the auspices of Croatian Caritas and which was received with great enthusiasm by the Church leadership as well as all the faithful in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The bishops considered questions in connection with honoring the memories of the victims of the totalitarian regimes during World War II and the postwar period. They concluded, first of all, that this question has not been satisfactorily resolved, and that complete studies have not been conducted in order for there to be a scientific and impartial manner for determining the number of all the victims. The bishops urge all those responsible in the Croatian society to undertake such activity. The bishops appealed for prayers for all the victims, regardless of their religious, national or political affiliations. In this spirit, visits to Bleiburg, Macelj, Stara Gradiška and other places of execution were considered, such as the visit which the Požega Diocese conducts to Jasenovac, in order for all these places to be freed from every form of manipulation and made places of dignified prayer and remembrance of the grievous suffering of innocent people.
The bishops approved some changes in the translation of the Rite for Exorcism and appendix to the Liturgy of the Hours. They also accepted certain changes in the national liturgical calendar and approved the intentions of the Apostolic Prayers of the Croatian Bishops for 2008. Reports were submitted by the presidents of the commissions, councils and committees of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, and several proposals were adopted regarding the work of these bodies of the CCB.
The bishops unanimously supported the proposal of the bishop of Đakovo and Srijem for the renewal of the diocese in Srijem and the establishment of a new Church territory with a see in Đakovo.
They were also informed of the five years of work by the Episcopal Commission of the CCB for Relations with the State. It was pointed out that much has been done in many areas regarding the implementation of the contracts signed between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia but some matters have still remained unresolved. The greatest difficulties are in the area of the inclusion of the legal entities of the Catholic Church within the legal system of the Republic of Croatia and concerning the return of properties confiscated during the Yugoslav communist regime.
The members of the Episcopal Commission of the CCB for Relations with the State in the new mandate are as follows: Msgr. Josip Mrzljak, president; Msgr. Ivan Milovan, Msgr. Mile Bogović and Msgr. Vjekoslav Huzjak, who was chosen as the secretary.
Members of the Council of the CCB for Seminaries and Spiritual Callings were also approved.
It was confirmed that the regular meeting of the bishops of the CCB with the members of the Croatian Conference of the Superiors of Religious Orders would be held on May 30, 2007 in Zagreb. An agenda was agreed upon for the meeting with the bishops of the Austrian Conference of Bishops who, together with their president, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, will be in Zagreb from May 30 to June 1 of this year. In addition to the meeting with the bishops of the CCB, they will also participate in the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of the Stone Gates on May 31.
A date has been set for a joint Croatian-Slovenian pilgrimage, which will be organized this year in Trsat on August 18. A joint committee is in charge of all the organizational questions.
The bishops were also informed regarding the course of the preparations of documentation for the new building of the CCB in Ksaver, construction of which is planned to begin this autumn. The bishops also considered the situation of the Church in the present Croatian society and concluded that there are certain tendencies, particularly in the media, to portray the Church with increasing frequency in a negative light. It was emphasized that this is nothing new and that the Church, although it is accustomed to suffering, must nonetheless use all the possibilities to respond to such attacks in a suitable manner, providing an explanation for the hope that it brings to the world. A true guidepost on this path is provided by the clear, unambiguous and decisive words and life of Pope Benedict XVI. In this process, an important role is played by the press office of the CCB and the press offices of the individual (arch)dioceses that place themselves at the disposal of the media and help the truth about the Church to reach all who wish to hear it,” concludes the statement from the session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops issued on April 20 by the Secretariat of the CCB.