Zagreb (IKA) – In Cardinal Josip Bozanić’s Christmas message, issued yesterday, December 20, to the faithful and persons of good will, the archbishop of Zagreb and president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops particularly underscored human dignity as ensuing from the mystery of Christmas.

“By becoming a man, Jesus testified about mankind and human dignity in a powerful and indisputable manner. For God, human dignity is a measure of all of history, the criterion of all times and all events. Jesus, by becoming a man, testified that what is worthy of a person is also worthy of God, and conversely, that which is not worthy of God is not worthy of a person,” wrote the archbishop of Zagreb, based upon texts from the Holy Scriptures and Church doctrine.

The path to God has been placed within a person, in our awareness of personal dignity, continued the cardinal, and stated that the world in which live today “has completely turned the value system upside down,” since the criterion for activity has become that which destroys a person’s humanity and dignity, while at the same time the philosophy of relativism represents the sole contemporary position. “Sometimes in our country it seems as if in exchange for the failed communist ideology, there are attempts to impose some allegedly new ideology of liberalism or even libertinism, to which public life is supposed to conform. And this, like the previous philosophy, is presented as a defender of human freedom, modern and scientific. Thus, many with full mouths speak about human rights in the contemporary world, while at the same time human dignity is being quietly and systematically threatened. It is sufficient to consider experiments in cloning, traffic in human fetuses and experiments in genetic manipulation. The killing of an unborn human being is even being justified in the name of human rights. To this should be added trafficking in human beings, which is constantly on the rise in the contemporary world, as well as trafficking in human organs. A person is subjected to subtle pressure. Pope Benedict XVI says that human dignity is being manipulated by markets, media and fashions,” states the Christmas message from the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, noting that today “profit is increasingly becoming an absolute law.”

“In our country, there is primary emphasis upon stimulating consumption, and only then on the generation of new wealth that would contribute to development and advancement. If only as many new factories for production were being built in our country as new shopping centers for the sale of imported goods! It is as if it is in someone’s interest to extract money and create the most passive possible consumers, to the detriment of creativity and new entrepreneurial ideas for the good of the society as a whole.”

Unfortunately, in the background there are most often narrow personal or group interests that “overstep all boundaries of morality and humanity,” asserts the archbishop of Zagreb and adds that it is particularly the little person in this age “who is increasingly threatened by merciless globalization. . . . The differences between the rich and poor are constantly becoming deeper; a minority is becoming increasingly richer while the majority is becoming increasingly poorer. The desired globalization of solidarity is not even in sight. It appears that the law and public institutions are increasingly protecting the rich and powerful. Formal legal equality leaves the poor in an unenviable position. Practices are increasingly being adapted to the philosophy of egoism; in decision-making, the general good is insufficiently considered as is the good of the specific, average person, his living conditions and needs.”

The president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops therefore urges all Christians and our Church as a whole, but also other responsible and aware citizens, “to raise their voices louder in the defense of human dignity, in the defense of the person, particularly the weak and poor who are being exposed to new pressures and manipulations,” pointing out that in public it is necessary “to defend the minimum level of ethical standards in order to preserve the value system that is essential for a life worthy of a person.” The cardinal made reference to the doctrine of Pope John Paul II from 1991, presented in Centesimus annus, in which he opposes unbridled capitalism.

Recalling that a specific man and his dignity are central to Christmas, Cardinal Bozanić points out specific phenomena in Croatia and some western societies that call dignity into question. “For us Christians, Sunday, as the day of Christ’s resurrection, is the day of a new beginning. The meaning of Sunday is for a person to free himself from the rhythm of daily work and exertion, in order to leave time and create the necessary spiritual space for becoming better acquainted with one’s human qualities, for a richer life. To reduce a person to a producer for the benefit of the owner of the means of production and to a consumer, again for the benefit of others, means to deprive him of an essential dimension of his humanity. Through disputing Sunday as a day for the person and his family, a day for the profound experience of a co-creator relationship with God, we return to the prehistory of the human race, to its spiritual prehistory. In this manner, we threaten a person’s dignity, we deprive him of the experience of freedom and responsibility. We deprive him of the experience of unity with his Creator, with creation and the entire universe. Sunday affirms a person’s creativity, returns depleted strength and opens the person toward transcendence.

“Who is permitted to deprive a person of these rights?” asks the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, warning that with the loss of awareness of one’s own dignity, one also loses awareness of the dignity of other persons. This can lead to emptiness and absurdity, as well as an apathetic attitude toward respect for those who are different. “Those who have the power and obligations to shape public life have a great responsibility. They are required to secure legal security and equality for people. They are required to assure the elementary prerequisites for citizens in order for them to be able to experience their humanity in its entirety. Not to fulfill this responsibility means abuse, and thereby results in great injustices toward God and man,” cautioned Cardinal Bozanić.

“Christmas is a holy day of general concern for the person. The Christmas holy day establishes an alliance with all that is good in the world. It stimulates civil initiative in the promotion of the general good. Therefore, it is necessary for Christians to become aware of their responsibilities in public life. It is necessary, in addition, for us to become increasingly open to mutual cooperation in all the segments of the Church and society. I urge all the faithful to a stronger spiritual and prayer life. If we change our own faces, we shall change the face of our Church, and thereby we shall also change the face of this world. We can only achieve this with God, and this only if we are open to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit,” states the archbishop of Zagreb, and emphasizes that all of this acquires additional importance in the circumstances of Croatian entry into the European Community, in which it will be even more important to maintain an awareness of our own dignity and identity. The cardinal therefore “in this sensitive time for peace and mutual trust” urges all to pray for the homeland and extends his greetings for Christmas and the coming New Year 2006.