Zagreb (IKA) – A special session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, presided over by Cardinal Josip Bozanić, was held on June 1 in Zagreb. In addition to the members of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, the session was attended by the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Francisco Javier Lozano. The bishops agreed on the preparations for the Croatian-Slovenian pilgrimage to the Slovenian Marian shrine of Brezje near Ljubljana that will be held on September 24. The Committee for the Organization of the Pilgrimage was established, chaired by the secretary general of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Mons. Vjekoslav Huzjak, with one representative from each arch/diocese in Croatia. The bishops sent a letter to the faithful in which they urge as many people as possible to participate in the pilgrimage.

There was also discussion on the tenth anniversary of the crucial events that marked the creation of the prerequisites for the free, peaceful and democratic development of the Croatian state, the interpretation of which has recently been very slanted and questionable in some circles. This is in reference to the military-police campaigns of Bljesak and Oljuja. In this sense, the bishops appealed for objectivity and respect for the truth in order to avoid defeatism, and urged people to engage actively in the building of their homeland. The Croatian Conference of Bishops will contact the public further on this matter.

The bishops were acquainted with the program of the blessing of building sites and the laying of cornerstones for the Church of the Croatian Martyrs in Udbina, a significant project of the Church in Croatia, to be held on September 9. The bishops decided that the National Youth Meeting will be held in Pula on April 29 and 30, 2006, under the motto: “The Teacher is here and is calling for you” (John 11, 28), as announced by the Press Office of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.