Zagreb (IKA) – “The evening celebration of the Feast of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, the Eucharist, is a special part of the life of the Zagreb Church. It has become inseparable from personal and collective history, it has become ours,” emphasized Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, the main celebrant at the central celebration of the Mass on the Feast of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac at the Zagreb Cathedral, where the earthly remains of the beatus lie.
Today a so-called religion of well-being is sought, a sense of feeling good in a religious or spiritual experience that meets short-term needs and eases problems. However, Christianity does not bend its principles according to impressions and desires, according to tastes and volition. True faith teaches a person not to abandon it even in the deepest depths of despair, cautioned Cardinal Bozanić. Pointing out that it is not that which promotes truth that occupies the center of attention today but that which is interesting, the cardinal explained to the faithful that a Christian is nonetheless a person of proximity and engagement. As Christians, we must not permit ourselves to be led away from the language of the cross in which truth is found.

Noting that our identity requires the humble seeking of harmony and dialogue among those who think differently, Cardinal Bozanić observed that even at a time when people outside the Church did not have the courage to utter words of forgiveness and love, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac knew how to recognize the foundations of human dignity and fight to the death for them, regardless of the affiliations of the authorities, asking in his Easter message of 1939 whether the members of all classes were not children alike of the same heavenly Father. In light of these thoughts, Cardinal Bozanić asked whether it is possible for the discussion of serious questions for the Croatian society to be reduced to surveying the opinions of people on the street, media misrepresentation, distortion or silence regarding Church positions and media bias. Can questions concerning work on Sundays, artificial fertilization, sex education in schools and intentionally unresolved questions regarding the Croatian past that continue to the present be left to such improvisations, asked Cardinal Bozanić. He concluded that the faithful, as responsible citizens of this country, have something to say to our times and contribute to the common good so that our Croatian homeland will become a place of mutual respect, progress and peace for all its citizens.

Speaking particularly about the problem of medically assisted fertilization, which is being discussed publicly, he pointed out that this subject concerns the fundamental questions of the dignity of the human being. Therefore, the regulations of the political authorities must respect natural law, since there is no area in which civil law can replace conscience or stipulate norms regarding that which is outside its jurisdiction. Pointing out there are also major discussions in our country regarding sex education in the schools, the cardinal told all parents that it is actually they who should carefully keep watch and become acquainted with the programs that are offered to their children in order to prevent their young souls from becoming poisoned with unsuitable contents. Moreover, “it is only through a clear religious position that we can resist the subtle attempts to impose contents on our educational system that are contrary to the principles of the gospel and religious morality,” said Cardinal Bozanić.

Speaking about Sunday as the day of the Lord, the cardinal pointed out that Sunday “is the model, norm and impetus for living any other day of the week, the day of the Eucharist, and therefore the day of Christian love toward all,” and therefore it is strange that in the Croatian society there are not attempts to recognize this day as the day of the person, if not as the day of the Lord and the day of the Church. Speaking about preparations for the Second Synod of the Zagreb Archdiocese, he noted that the latter half of the year will a time for discussions among the faithful and priests in parishes of important topics regarding faith and the Church. He urged everyone to participate in these discussions.

At the celebration of the Mass in the crowded Zagreb Cathedral, the concelebrants were the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Francisco-Javier Lozano, Auxiliary Bishops Josip Mrzljak and Vlado Kostić of Zagreb, the newly appointed Auxiliary Bishop Elect Valentin Pozaić, Vladika Slavomir Mrklovš of Križevci and twenty-eight diocesan and religious priests. Deputy Mayor Milan Bandić represented the Zagreb municipal authorities.