Split, May 9, 2000 (IKA) — The Feast Day of St. Domnius [sv. Dujam], the patron saint of the city of Split and the archdiocese of Split-Makarska, was celebrated on May 7. The procession and Eucharist were conducted by the archbishop of Zadar, Ivan Prenđa, in concelebration with the bishops of the Split Metropolitan Archdiocese and numerous priests. In addition to thousands of the faithful who participated in the Mass, there were also representatives of the municipal and state authorities. Greeting those present, the host archbishop, Archbishop and Metropolitan Ante Jurić of Split-Makarska, reminisced that Split has been able to conduct the celebration the feast of its patron saint for the past ten years in freedom within its own sovereign country, which had been restricted during the previous fifty years under the communist regime. During the past decade, we have experienced many difficulties as well as joyful moments, said Archbishop Jurić, who also noted that many Croatian leaders had come to the Split Cathedral including, after many centuries, the first president of the independent and internationally recognized Republic of Croatia. The archbishop also reminisced that two years ago, the Pope visited the Split Cathedral, the oldest in the world, on which occasion he remarked that even the stones are not silent here. During the sermon, Archbishop Prenđa pointed out that the Church prepares an individual for inner freedom, and that we cannot forget the words that the Holy Father John Paul II uttered here two years ago, when he asked us if we had done what we were supposed to do, underscoring the importance of firm moral and ethical values in society. Without these values, there is no real freedom or democracy. Archbishop Prenđa then asserted that every religious community is only as authentic as the extent to which it bears witness to its faith, and to the extent that every member is a faithful witness to God’s love.
In addition to the religious commemoration of the feast of the patron saint of Split, St. Domnius, there were many exhibitions, concerts and sports events. The municipal authorities distributed 2,000 meals to the poor in Split. On the feast day of St. Domnius, the religious-cultural station of Radio Sudamja (a local name for St. Domnius) celebrated its first anniversary. This station was founded by young journalists and its programs of religious, cultural and musical content are broadcast solely via the Internet.
It is expected that the Split-Makarska Archdiocese will soon have a new archbishop because the current archbishop, Ante Jurić, is seventy-eight years old and has submitted his resignation to the Pope, in accordance with Canon Law. The most frequently mentioned candidates for his successor are the auxiliary bishop of Split-Makarska, Marin Barišić, and the head of the Pontifical Croatian Institute of St. Jerome in Rome, Msgr. Jure Bogdan.