Zadar (IKA) — The central item of the extensive schedule of the XXIXth Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, held in Zadar from October 10 to 14, was the training and education of candidates for the priesthood. As pointed out in a statement by the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, the first draft of the document was presented at the session, according to which this significant area will be defined at the national level. The need for the all-encompassing human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral formation of future priests was pointed out because “only in this way is it possible to respond to the increasingly complex demands of the times in which they live and carry out their priestly calling.” Following a report by the Episcopal Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for Relations with the Government, it was concluded that the relations between the Church and Government are stable, that the contracts with the Holy See are honored, but that their implementation in some segments has encountered certain difficulties and administrative obstacles.

The bishops listened with concern to a report by Cardinal Puljić on the state of the Catholic Church and the position of the Croatian nation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasizing that they would continue to undertake everything regarding assistance to the Catholic bishops of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whom they support in their endeavors for the Church and nation.

The bishops adopted a letter to priests in connectin with the construction of a parish church in Stara Gradiška, which would also be a memorial to the innocent priests, members of religious orders and lay persons who were imprisoned in the infamous Stara Gradiška prison. The entire activity was placed within the context of the 1,700th anniversary of the early Christian martyrs from our regions as well as the impetus provided by Pope John Paul II to preserve the memory of all those who gave their courageous and martyred testimony for the faith and the Church at any time.

At the session, the bishops took further steps toward the implementation of the initiative for the establishment of a Catholic university with headquarters in Zagreb. It was decided that the future university would be under the auspices of the Croatian Conference of Bishops and the founder would be the Archdiocese of Zagreb. The bishops issued a mandate for the establishment of a commission that will begin concrete preparations for the realization of this project, which is of exceptional importance to the Catholic Church. The president of the commission is Prof. Ivan Šaško, Ph.D., and the vice president is Prof. Ivan Koprek, S.J., Ph.D.

After a report on the work of Croatian Caritas, the bishops agreed that its activities are valuable because they demonstrate the effective concern and care of the Church for those in the greatest need. Satisfaction was expressed with the adaptation of Croatian Caritas to contemporary trends in the society and attempts via various projects to bring Christian values, solidarity and sacrificial love into the broadest context of the Croatian society.

The Croatian bishops also discussed the further education of persons for implementing religious education in preschool institutions and pointed out that there are considerable difficulties due to vague regulations, the interpretation of which is left to the leadership of the preschool institutions. The bishops believe it is necessary to urge parents to demand the exercise of their children’s rights to a religious education, including preschool institutions.

Following a report on the presence of the Church in the Croatian media at the present moment, submitted by the head of the Catholic Information Agency and the Press Office of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Prof. Anton Šuljić, the bishops concluded that there is a “marked negative trend in the presentation of the Church as well as all Catholic values.” The bishops urge all the faithful to attempt to demonstrate their religious affiliation through their own lives because it is only in this way that the strength of the testimony of the faith will be seen in public, regardless of the nonobjective and biased treatment of the Church in the media.

Bishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo and Srijem invited all the bishops to the celebration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Pannonian and Srijem martyrs in Srijemska Mitrovica, to be held on October 25 and 26, according to the statement by the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.

At this session, presided over by Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, the active members of the Croatian Conference of Bishops were joined by the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Francisco Javier Lozano, and retired Archbishop Marijan Oblak of Zadar. The session was also attended by Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljić of Sarajevo and Bishop Ivan Penzes of Subotica.