Zagreb, (IKA) – From the Fiftieth Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops held in Zagreb, the Croatian bishops, concerned by troubling demographic indicators, have issued an appeal, which we present in its entirety:

“Amidst preparations for the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Family to be held in Rome and on the eve of the Second National Encounter of Croatian Catholic Families, at our Fiftieth Plenary Session, held in Zagreb from April 14 to 16, 2015, we Croatian bishops discussed the topic of family and the challenges being confronted by this basic cell of the Church and society.
“After considering the current situation and concerned by troubling demographic indicators, we urge the Church public, all responsible state, social, economic and other relevant factors, as well as all people of good will in our Croatian homeland and the diaspora, to confront the actual situation and anticipated consequences if it does not change.
“Croatia has been experiencing a severe demographic crisis for decades, which has recently assumed catastrophic proportions, as our demographers have repeatedly predicted. The reasons for such a situation are many and complex. Among them, continuous emigration, the abandonment of rural areas and the settlement of urban areas, the concentration of the population in only a few large cities, the slow development of small and medium-sized cities, and the emigration for so-called temporary work in foreign countries are prominent. There are also high unemployment, job insecurity, the lack of a systematic housing policy for young families and negative economic trends that increasingly worsen their position. As a particular problem, it is necessary to point out those tendencies in the economy that are unfavorable for women, mothers with small children and pregnant women, as reflected in several ways: requiring women not to plan on having children as a prerequisite for being hired, undesirable work schedules, particularly work on Sundays, as well as the lack of a service infrastructure for families with small children.
“From year to year, the number of deaths is increasing in relation to the number of births. If the current trends continue, according to serious estimates by demographers, in the middle of this century Croatia will have approximately one million fewer inhabitants. The number of inhabitants in the younger age group will decline by approximately 40%. The drastic reduction in the working-age population will cause incalculable social and macroeconomic changes.
“Therefore, it is necessary to consider the warnings by demographic experts and not leave a situation that is inevitably leading to the demographic ruin of Croatia to chance. It is imperative to respond quickly and attempt to stop or at least slow the aforementioned negative trends.
“There is the impression that the majority of the Croatian public is not sufficiently aware of the long-term consequences of the continuation of the current demographic trends.
“With this appeal, we Croatian bishops want to point out that it is necessary to establish constructive dialogue among social, political, economic and all other relevant factors as soon as possible in order to find common solutions regarding our demographic future. With the goal of creating an atmosphere that is congenial to the families and children in Croatia, we are calling for the urgent adoption and systematic implementation of long-term pro-birth family and population policies as important parts of the development policy of vital interest for the future of the Croatian society. In these efforts, European countries that have successfully improved their demographic indicators by implementing such strategic programs and policies could serve as models.
“In the hope that everyone will receive this appeal with open hearts, we particularly invite the faithful to pray constantly and contribute through concrete efforts to overcoming the present situation in the spirit of the Second National Encounter of Croatian Families ‘Family—the bearer of the life, hope and future of Croatia.”