Zagreb, October 25, 2003 (IKA) — With the Holy Mass in the overflowing Zagreb cathedral on October 25, the archdiocesan and national celebration of the entry of the archbishop of Zagreb, Josip Bozanić, into the College of Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church was concluded. The Holy Mass, led by Cardinal Bozanić together with the archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljić, the new apostolic nuncio in Croatia, Archbishop Francisco Javier Lozano, Croatian bishops and several hundred diocesan priests and members of religious orders, began with a procession, after which the new cardinal, was greeted at the cathedral entrance by the auxiliary bishop and prepositor of the Zagreb cathedral chapter, Josip Mrzljak.

“Here God’s nation led by its pastors, bishops and priests awaits you, here your cathedra awaits you, from which for six years you have preached, taught and shown the path of Christian life to every person of good intention,” said Bishop Mrzljak to Cardinal Bozanić. “Your voice has been heard in the cathedral and archdiocese, in the Church that lives and serves the Croatian nation, wherever it finds itself, and from now on your words will have even greater weight, even greater importance, and be heard even further, because you are a cardinal not only for our local Church but for the Universal Church throughout the entire world.” After the formal entry into the cathedral, accompanied by thunderous applause, Cardinal Bozanić came to the tabernacle, bowed before it and remained in brief silent prayer. The new cardinal then greeted the domestic and foreign Church officials and the lay faithful.

On behalf of the clergy of the Zagreb Archdiocese, the newly appointed cardinal received sincere greetings and congratulations from the pastor and deacon of Glina, Tomislav Šestak. On this occasion, the priests of the Zagreb Archdiocese presented Cardinal Bozanić with a pastoral staff, which, was manufactured by the Antenori workshop of Venice according to the concept of Dr. Ivan Šaško. The body of the staff is fashioned of olive wood from the Holy Land and is inscribed with motifs inspired by the coat-or-arms of Archbishop Bozanić and elements symbolizing the deeply rooted Croatian Christian faith imbued with the cross of salvation in Christ.
On behalf of male religious, the new cardinal was congratulated by the acting president of the Croatian Conference of the Superiors of Religious Orders, Fra Lucije Jagec, and on behalf of female religious, he was congratulated by the Croatian Union of Superiors of Women’s Religious Orders, Sister Elvira Krišto. On behalf of the Croatian lay faithful from the archdiocese and all of Croatia, he was congratulated by Janja Herman. On behalf of the faithful who live outside the homeland, the new cardinal was congratulated by the head of the Croatian Foreign Pastoral Missions, Pero Ivan Grgić. On behalf of the Croatian episcopate, Cardinal Bozanić received words of congratulation and support in his new office from the vice president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Ivan Prenđa of Zadar, who said that the Church in Croatia regards his person with confidence. Among other remarks, Archbishop Prenđa said that the Church is called upon to build bridges of dialogue and trust within itself and the entire Croatian society. The newly appointed Cardinal Bozanić received congratulations on behalf of the bishops of Bosnia & Herzegovina from the archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljijć, who noted that the bishops from B & H and Croatia had accompanied him during the past days in Rome, thus testifying to their Church and national unity.
“I would like my service in the cardinalate of the Church to be a powerful impetus for an authentic life according to the gospel and for the development of Church life on the local and general level; so that on the national level it will be a guarantee of unity that will constantly impend the narrow selfish interests of individuals and groups who do not work for the good of Croatia; so that in public life, people of a variety of world views will recognize in this office the Catholic openness for dialogue and encounters which, on the one side, constantly seeks the truth, and on the other, attempts to live according to the proclamation of the truth,” said the new Croatian Cardinal Josip Bozanić in his sermon at the celebration of the Mass on Saturday, October 25, in a packed Zagreb cathedral in observance of his induction into the College of Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Addressing the assembled faithful, Cardinal Bozanić said that he wants to be like a clay vessel that is filled with light, the strength and radiance of which will be professed by the dear faithful, because, he explained, any service in the Church is given in order to reveal God’s love and glory; because no office whatsoever has fulfillment or purpose if it does not retain the precious content that makes life possible. He spoke of the precious memorial treasures kept in the Zagreb cathedral, noting that the voice of the cardinalate speaks from the grave in the persons of Cardinals Franjo Kuharić and Franjo Šeper of blessed memory, the Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, and the other honorable predecessors going back to Cardinal Juraj Haulik. “However, the particular radiance of this treasure is precisely you, the living body of Christ, prepared to follow the Way of the Cross and proclaim life without end,” said Cardinal Bozanić to the faithful. Pointing out that as soon as a person is given greater authority to serve the Church in a particular function, he becomes more aware of the weight of his human frailties, Cardinal Bozanić concluded that instead of discouraging us, this discovery should remind us that although we are weak, Christ is strong.

Speaking about the twenty-fifth anniversary of the pontificate of the Holy Father, the cardinal said that the pontificate of John Paul II was one of unusual closeness to the Croatian nation that understood the Croatian nation under communist oppression and captivity; who did not permit utterances of hatred amidst warfare; who rejoiced in freedom and promoted solidarity and perseverance in goodness. Croatian history without the Pope’s words and undertakings would have been incomplete, and without his pastoral visits to Croatia the souls of the faithful would have been impoverished. Therefore each thought of him is one of gratitude, concluded Cardinal Bozanić.

The two-day celebration began on Friday, October 24, with an observance in honor of the newly appointed Croatian cardinal in the Zagreb cathedral, at which a number of renown Croatian artists performed. There were also clips from films about the Zagreb archbishops and cardinals and an address by Cardinal Bozanić, emphasizing that we cannot separate ourselves from our history, in which Christian history is significant.