“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Holy Father, with these words from the Holy Liturgy, I wish to welcome you to the Djakovo or Bosnia and Srijem Diocese, the city of Osijek, the plains of Slavonia, this corner of the land of Croatia. At this festive and joyous mo-ment, when all of us here and all who are following this historical and holy event on radio and television are filled with happiness and gratitude for the love and attention that you, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, constantly bestow, I exclaim to you: Welcome!

I sincerely welcome you on behalf of the assembled people of God: the car-dinals, archbishops and bishops, especially Bishop Emeritus of the Djakovo or Bosnia and Srijem Diocese, Msgr. Ciril Kos, auxiliary bishops Djuro Gas-parovic and Djuro Hranic, the priests, religious, priests and nuns in formation and all the lay faithful, officials of the municipal, state and military authorities, the local residents and on my own behalf! I especially emphasize the pre-sence of the Croatian-Slavonian Ecclesial Province of Zagreb, that is marking the 150th anniversary of its establishment this year.

Welcome, Holy Father, to a diocese steeped in the blood of martyrs, from the time of the holy Panonian and Syrmian martyrs Ireneaeus, Dimitri and Anata-sia, Eusebius, and Polycarp — for whom the 1,700th anniversary of their martyrdom will be commemorated next year — up to our time, when many priests and the faithful bore witness to their faith in God, the Church and the Apostolic See. Welcome to a diocese that was once led by the archbishop of Syrmia (Srijem), St. Methodius, Apostle of the Slavs.

Today’s date and encounter with you will be inscribed in golden letters in our national and religious history. Joy once again comes to us from the eternal city and from Krakow, as it did 764 years ago when the Blessed Salomea, Princess of Poland, came to us and, with her husband, Duke Kolomon, bequeathed the city of Djakovo and the environs to the Bosnian bishop, who henceforth made his residence in Djakovo.

Holy Father, welcome to a diocese that endured senseless aggression ten years ago, during which innocents, cities and villages suffered grievously, where churches were demolished and plundered, as were family homes, bu-sinesses, schools and hospitals; a diocese in which many are still waiting for missing loved ones to return. It is sufficient merely to mention the city of Vu-kovar, the symbol of our suffering.

Nonetheless, we do not wish to be slaves to the past but a people with a view to the future, which we want to build together with the faithful of other Christi-an Churches and religious communities, with all people of good will. May this Eucharist be for all an incentive for “cleansing our memories” together with forgiveness and reconciliation in truth and respect for others.

In order for the Church of Djakovo and Srijem to respond to the signs of the times, the expectations and demands of the religious communities, and all the people, who are entering a new period in their history, we are concluding the Second Diocesan Synod of Djakovo and Srijem. During the past five years of synod activity, we have embarked on overall renewal, particularly through the inclusion of the lay faithful, who have been made aware of their shared responsibility in the Church and who are gladly becoming involved in diocese life.

Welcome, Holy Father, to Osijek – a city on the Drava River, the city of Bis-hop Josip Juraj Strossmayer, who in some ways was a herald of the Second Vatican Council, a great champion of ecumenical dialogue. In this city was born Cardinal Franjo Seper, our metropolitan bishop, a participant in the Se-cond Vatican Council, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Fai-th and your close associate. This is the city to which you, Holy Father, sent Cardinal Roger Etchegaray as your personal envoy during the recent war while people here were dying, to encourage us in your name and bear witness to us that you were with the afflicted and suffering. This is a special opportunity for us to thank you again for your act of encouragement in faith and your messages of hope, peace, dialogue, reconciliation and forgiveness.

With today’s Eucharist, we want to thank the Lord for the gift of baptism and for communion with the Apostolic See, which your predecessor Pope John VIII formally confirmed and blessed in his letter to the Croatian ruler Branimir, on precisely this date, June 7, 879. We are equally grateful for all the good that the Lord bestows upon the Church and world today through you, Holy Father. May this also be a prayer for the present and future of the Church in Croatian regions, for God’s blessing and help in the building of a civil society based on lasting values, the furthering of the general good, the dignity of the person and family, so that in the homes of its citizens there should always be enough clothing and bread, earned through the honorable work of our hands. May this be a humble petition for our families, for the fathers and mothers, for children and young people, for grandfathers and grandmothers, for the elderly and infirm, for all who suffer in their bodies and souls, for all who await a sign of hope and encouragement.

May our thanks and prayer follow Our Lady of Refuge, who has always been with us on our path of life.

Once again, welcome Holy Father. We wish you a pleasant stay among us.