Žnjan, October 4, 1998 (IKA) — “Today we want to thank the Most Holy Trinity for the Baptism received by your ancestors. Christianity arrived here from the East and from Italy, from Rome, and it shaped your national tradition. Remembering this evokes a lively and deep sense of gratitude to Divine Providence for this two-fold gift: first and foremost, the gift of your call to faith, and then the gift of the fruits which that faith has borne in your culture and your way of life,” emphasized Pope John Paul II today, October 4, in his sermon delivered in the Croatian language at the Solemn Mass in commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the city of Split, held in Žnjan. The Holy Father spoke particularly about the need today throughout the world for new evangelization and prayed that the Church among the Croats would clearly be able to see the challenges and tasks associated with the new evangelization and direct all her efforts toward the “tertio millennio adveniente.” The Pope addressed special greetings to the bishops of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, representatives of other religious communities and government dignitaries assembled at the Mass. The Holy Father seemed particularly gratified by the presence of Evangelical Bishop Vladimir Deutsch and Serbian-Orthodox Metropolitan Jovan Pavlović, emphasizing that we all share a common belief in Jesus Christ, that has assembled us all together.
“Dear friends, Split and Solin make up the second and final stage of my Pastoral Visit to Croatia. These two places have a very special significance in the growth of Christianity in this region – from Roman times and, later, Croatian times – and evoke a long and wonderful history of faith from the time of the Apostles up to our own days,” said the Holy Father, once again referring to the many witnesses to the faith in Croatian history, from St. Domnius (sv. Dujam) in the early centuries of Christianity to Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac in our own century. “The decision by your forefathers to accept the Catholic faith, the faith proclaimed and professed by the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, has played a central role in the religious and civil history of your Nation. #!This was an event of capital importance for the Croats, because from that moment on they accepted with alacrity the Gospel of Christ as it was disseminated and taught in Rome. The Catholic faith has permeated the national life of the Croats#!: so wrote your Bishops (Pastoral Letter, 16 March 1939) in preparation for the Jubilee of the evangelization of the Croats, planned for 1941 and then postponed because of events which overwhelmed your country, Europe and the entire world,” said the Pope, adding that this is a heritage that poses demands today, in the new political climate. “The Lord has not failed to enlighten your days with hope (cf. Eph 1:17-18), and now, with the coming of freedom and democracy, it is legitimate to expect a new springtime of faith in this land of Croatia. The Church is now able to employ many means of evangelization and can approach all sectors of society. This is a promising moment which Providence is offering to this generation in order to proclaim the Gospel and bear witness to Christ Jesus, the one Savior of the world, and thus to contribute to the building of a society worthy of man,” pointed out the Holy Father. Continuing, he said, “Concretely, the Christians of Croatia are today called to give a new face to their country, above all by committing themselves to the renewal of the ethical and moral social values undermined by past totalitarianism and by the recent violence of war. This is a task which calls for the expenditure of much energy and a firm and persevering will. It is an urgent task because without values there can be no true freedom or true democracy. Fundamental among these values is respect for human life, for the rights and dignity of the person, as well as for the rights and dignity of peoples. The Christian knows that he has a very specific responsibility, together with his fellow-citizens, for the destiny of his own country and for the promotion of the common good. Faith is always a commitment to the service of others, to consider one#!s fellow-citizens as brothers and sisters.”