Zagreb, (IKA) – On October 30, the Pope’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, met with members of the Croatian Episcopate, led by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić; and the President of the CCB, the Archbishop of Zadar, Msgr. Želimir Puljić. The meeting was also attended by the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto; the Secretary of the Nunciature, Msgr. Janusz Stanislaw Blachowiak; and the General Secretary of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Dr. Petar Palić. Upon entering the headquarters of the CCB, Cardinal Parolin shook hands with each of the bishops. Prior to entering the plenary auditorium, he paused in front of a plaque commemorating Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Visit to Croatia.
With warm words of welcome on behalf of the bishops, Archbishop Puljić expressed gratitude for the gift of the new appointed Apostolic Nuncio Pinto. “He housed you in the building of the nunciature, which was opened twenty-two years ago, and since then has bound us firmly with the Eternal City.” Archbishop Puljić mentioned that the auditorium was the venue of the joint sessions of the Croatian bishops and then said: “Aware of the responsibilities given to us by Providence, as pastors we strive to assemble regularly in order to discuss and agree upon our pastoral plans. We strive for our Church to be ‘a house and school of communion,’ in the words of St. John Paul II. This requires work that we attempt to achieve at three levels: at the level of our particular Churches, which are networked with the institution of the conference; at the level of the nation we serve both at home and abroad and, finally, at the level of our ties with the institutions of the Holy See.” On behalf of the bishops, he expressed the wish that Cardinal Parolin’s visit “to our capital city would yield abundant fruit and be a visible sign of mutual respect, with fruitful conversations for the benefit of the local Churches, the inhabitants of Croatia and each individual person.”
Expressing thanks for the welcome, Cardinal Parolin said: “It is a genuine pleasure for me to participate in this meeting and opportunity for fraternal communion. I greet you wholeheartedly and thank Cardinal Bozanić for inviting me to Zagreb and all of you for giving me the opportunity to meet with you in these beautiful headquarters of the Croatian Conference of Bishops. The Holy Father has asked me to convey his greetings and assure his closeness to the Church in Croatia, which the Holy Father expects to welcome in Rome, together with its pastors, on the occasion of a visit ad limina Apostolorum.” Citing a line from Psalm 133, “‘How good and how pleasant it is, when brothers dwell together as one,'” he asked: “Is not fraternal communion perhaps one of the most beautiful, remarkable and comforting gifts that God has given us?”
He spoke of the very close relationship between the Church in Croatia with the Pope and the Holy See, and particularly emphasized cooperation with the pontifical representative, expressing the hope that “through the service performed by the nunciature and the frequent and cordial contacts of the individual bishops and bishops’ conference with the Pontifical representative, the Church in Croatia would continue to grow and strengthen its communion with the Roman Pontiff, which has been its distinctive characteristic throughout history and, which, as we know, is a guarantee of freedom before every earthly authority and every particular interest, as well as the openness to the universal Church and its catholic dimension, despite every danger of being closed in on ourselves.”
Cardinal Parolin also noted that Croatia has a Christian identity with roots extending deep into the past. “Christianity is a structural element of the Croatian society, not only in its religious dimensions but also in its educational and cultural dimensions, where the Church has found a significant area for evangelization.” He briefly commented on the relationship between Croatia and the Holy See since the year 641, and noted that the Successors of Peter have been great supporters of the Croats, adding: “How can we not remember, with grateful hearts and indelible memories, the particular closeness of Saint Pope John Paul II.” He emphasized that it was not by chance that “the communist dictatorship from 1945 to 1990 did everything to sever the ties between the Croatian nation and the Holy See, subjecting the Church in Croatia to systematic persecution with the goal of its annihilation. During those difficult times, the Church in Croatia had before it the heroic testimony provided by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Blessed Alojzije Stepinac. The communist regime initiated a judicial process against him, which was actually an ordinary farce, with the intention of prosecuting the entire Church in Croatia, clerics and the faithful. It was not by chance that Pope Pius XII called it a ‘most sorrowful process.'” He observed that “great faith in Divine Providence, together with love for everyone, even enemies, gave Blessed Stepinac the strength to face the severe sentence he received with a heroic spirit. This same strength that comes from above was drawn upon by blazing examples of holiness in the Church in Croatia, as well as the martyrs of every time and place.”
Encouraging the Croatian bishops in their mission, Cardinal Parolin said: “Dear brothers, it is now up to you to protect and further strengthen this rich heritage. This is an inescapable task because the Christian identity of Croatia has not only a past and present but also a future.” He recalled the words of Pope John Paul II during his first Apostolic Visit to Croatia in 1994, when he compared the faith of the people with the rivers Sava and Danube, which flow near each other and ultimately meet. This symbolic image evokes two traditions, Catholic and Orthodox, which are called to an ecumenical undertaking of drawing closer to each other and joining together.
In this regard, Cardinal Parolin emphasized “in order for faith and life not to pass alongside each other and always be separated, it is necessary to motivate the faithful and encourage them to remain true to the faith they profess, in all personal situations and the concrete circumstances of today, in which many challenges arise in various areas. We all understand their complexity, especially the challenges of secularization and indifference.” He also stressed the importance of evangelization, particularly today, which effectively enters into the souls of people.
In conclusion, Cardinal Parolin thanked Cardinal Bozanić and Bishop Antun Škvorčević of Požega for their patient work as permanent members of the Mixed Commission of Croatian and Serbian Experts to Reconsider the Character of Blessed Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac.
“This was a gesture of great ecumenical value toward our Orthodox brothers. I am glad that you brought this task to an end with joy and hope for deeper unity, in a shared commitment to the testimony of faith in Christ the Lord and the shared desire to stride together toward the desired unity. Let us not permit the offer of reconciliation that it implies to be in vain, aware that it is precisely this foundation upon which it is necessary to build unity, forgiveness and reconciliation,” said Cardinal Parolin.