Marija Bistrica, August 30, 2003 (IKA) — As part of the celebration of Central European Catholic Day on August 30, over 10,000 Slovenian and Croatian pilgrims gathered at the Croatian Marian shrine of Marija Bistrica at a dual-language celebration of the Mass in the open-air Church of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, led by the archbishop of Ljubljana, Franc Rode, and the archbishop of Zagreb, Josip Bozanić, together with other Slovenian and Croatian bishops, representatives of the other six Central European countries and approximately 300 priests.

“We are here to strengthen ourselves and fearlessly promote Christ, our hope. This is the reason for this pilgrimage and Central European Catholic Day,” emphasized Archbishop Bozanić, president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, in words of greeting. He also mentioned that although Catholics in the countries of Central Europe are in the majority, when reading the press it appears otherwise. There is too little evangelical hope in public life, added the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops. Speaking about the motto of the gathering, Christ — the Hope of Europe, he pointed out that at the beginning of the new millennium Catholics want to dedicate themselves to their calling and task in the building of a new Europe, that, as the Holy Father tells us, must not forget its Christian roots. “We are here assembled as members of the communities of our Catholic Churches that profoundly shaped the identity of the Slovenian and Croatian nations. Here we pray for the Holy Spirit to enlighten those responsible in our countries so that they will always promote cooperation and mutual respect among the citizens and the faithful of our two nations, connected by geographical proximity, a similar historical fate, and a common cultural and Catholic heritage,” said Archbishop Bozanić to the assembled faithful.

Archbishop Rode emphasized in his homily that the Slovenian and Croatian faithful were assembled at this Marian shrine in order to strengthen their bond of friendship and refresh historical memory. In contrast to many European nations, the memories between the Croatian and Slovenian nations are clean, said Archbishop Rode, explaining that between these two nations there have never been wars, acts of cruelty, violence or hatred. Between them, an affinity has prevailed through the centuries that made fruitful cooperation possible in the political, economic, cultural and spiritual areas, with mutual enrichment. He also mentioned the two exceptional personalities that link the Slovenian and Croatian nations, Bishop Anton Mahnić and the Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. Explaining that this pilgrimage is a preparation for the Central European Catholic encounter among eight nations on May 22 of next year in the Austrian shrine of Mariazell, Archbishop Rode mentioned that the goal of this meeting was to revive Christian awareness and confirm the friendship among the nations that are linked by the same Catholic tradition. The motto of the pilgrimage, Christ — the Hope of Europe, said Archbishop Rode, expresses the conviction that Europe cannot build itself solely upon economic success but must reorient itself according to the values from which it came and which are fundamental to its identity — and faith in God who established with mankind a relationship of such intimacy unlike any other religion or philosophy, a relationship that is the foundation of human dignity and the source of mankind’s responsibility and freedom. We must help these values that have their source in Christianity take hold, recommended the archbishop of Ljubljana. He noted that the second goal of the Catholic encounter in Mariazell is to deepen the friendship and closeness among these nations, which is also the goal of the pilgrimage to Marija Bistrica.

The participants in the encounter, including the deputy premier of the Croatian government, Dr. Goran Granić, were also greeted by representatives from the Central European countries, the president of the Hungarian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Eger Seregely Istvan and the general secretary of the Conference of Bishops, Andras Veres, the president of the Bosnian-Herzegovian Conference of Bishops, Bishop Franjo Komarica of Banja Luka, the Austrian and Slovakian military bishops Christian Werner and František Rabek, and the president of the Polish Conference of Bishops, Msgr. Wlodzimierz Artyszuk.