Gospić, September 20, 2001 (IKA) — A session of the Permanent Council of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb presiding, was held on September 20 at the Diocesan Ordinariate in Gospić. The Council discussed the situation in Croatia and the world. The bishops view the Government’s program of social measures with concern, which apparently greatly reduce social benefits, especially to new mothers, children and retirees. They urge the legislators adopt a responsible approach in their decision making, taking into account the social conditions of the citizens of Croatia,
Horrified at the escalation of terrorism in recent days on American soil, the bishops once again urge the faithful to pray intensely for peace in the world in order to stop, in the words of the Holy Father, the spiral of evil.
Archbishop Bozanić and other members of the Permanent Council, Archbishop Ivan Prenđa of Zadar, Archbishop Marin Barišić of Split-Makarska and Bishop Mile Bogović of Gospić-Senj, discussed preparations for the program of the XXIIIth Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops that will be held in Požega from October 16 to 18 of this year.
The central topic of the plenary session in Požega will be guidelines for the pastoral plan of the Catholic Church in Croatia at the beginning of the Third Millennium, presentation of the Directory for Family Pastoral Work of the Church in Croatia, the Church before the challenge of the mass media, and the curriculum for Catholic catechesis in secondary schools. There was also mention of the immediate preparations for a symposium on the topic “Opportunities for the Organized Activity of the Catholic Laity in Croatia,” that will be held in Osijek from October 5 to 6, 2001.