Most Eminent Cardinal, Most Reverend Apostolic Nuncio, dear fellow archbishops and bishops, dear priests and religious, and Christ’s lay faithful, distinguished representatives of sister Churches, Christian communities and other religions; the Honorable Dean of the Catholic Faculty of Theology, the Honorable Rector of the University of Zagreb, the Honorable Rector of the Catholic University of Croatia; the distinguished Minister of Science, Education and Sports; distinguished deans, assistant deans, professors; distinguished representatives of the state and municipal authorities; esteemed brothers and sisters, participants in the Theological-Pastoral Week:

1. The significance and value of this January meeting in Zagreb this week can partially be discerned from the ordinal number of this manifestation, which indicates that we are assembling for the fifty-sixth time, always with the intention of aligning our lives, thinking and commitment with the current challenges and needs of our Church in its theological and pastoral activities.

This year, during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Divine mercy is our central theme. In The Face of Mercy, the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis summarizes the relationship between mercy and the Church in the following words: “Mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life. All of her pastoral activity should be caught up in the tenderness she makes present to believers; nothing in her preaching and in her witness to the world can be lacking in mercy” (The Face of Mercy, 10). The Pope expresses sorrow that “the practice of mercy is waning in the wider culture (Ibid., 10). The culture of mercy is always open to new life, outpourings of courage and viewing the future with hope. The whole Church, our parishes, communities, associations and movements are called to be oases of mercy.

Therefore, it is important to become more deeply acquainted with God’s mercy, recognize it in our own lives and incorporate it in the life of the Church and society. We are invited to consider both components of the title of this week: it is both theological and pastoral. At the level of theology, it should extend the horizon of knowledge, connections and analyses, not for closure exclusively within the framework of academic papers and discussions but for evangelical penetration wherever man seeks God and yearns for Him, in all human experiences. This is the direction I want for this Theological-Pastoral Week.

Every particular Church experiences the Holy Year of Mercy in communion with the Universal Church but also with the specifics that mark it at the given historical moment. The specifics of particular Churches are particularly reflected in the lives of the people who have borne witness to holiness through acts of mercy and have become inspirations and intercessors for us. Therefore, the Pope writes: “Our prayer also extends to the saints and blessed ones who made divine mercy their mission in life” (The Face of Mercy, 24).

2. Speaking as the Archbishop of Zagreb and aware that I am expressing a widespread sentiment in the Church, I wish to emphasize that for us the Holy Year of Mercy is particularly connected with the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac. On several occasions, I have already mentioned that his life is a reflection of Christ, the Face of Mercy, a magnificent example of service devoted to the love of God, Church, Holy Father and Croatian Homeland, love that is confirmed toward neighbors, the needy of every kind and especially the persecuted.

Since we are gathered here from various places and the majority of us are priests, today I feel the need to address you, dear fellow brothers in the priesthood, aware that sometimes, with respect to the canonization of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, you encounter confusing news, articles and opinions. You also find yourself involved in discussions that are permeated with uncertainties and disappointments, confronted by questions from your own hearts and from those of your faithful.

Therefore, I want encourage you to always think in the light of the Gospel and draw conclusions through the power of love for the Church. Although I myself am often criticized, although you can read blatant untruths about me, they have other objectives. Therefore, I encourage you to bear witness to the truth so that in these times we can together be the Church, worthy of the name of Christ and Stepinac’s intercession.

3. I cannot be indifferent toward the ugly accusations that say that I and the Croatian bishops, have misled the public, that they are maliciously remaining silent, that they have offended the Holy See and the Pope himself. It is painful to hear this and, therefore, I appeal to you, dear priests, not to be deceived by media attacks and not to join in the spirit of such deliberate works of propaganda and interpretations.

In the Church, everyone has a vocation and responsibility. We are aware that there are judgments and actions that should be considered but always guided by the spirit of the Church and love. In my responsibility and fraternal openness, I can, borrowing the words of the Blessed Alojzije, say that in this matter I have nothing to reproach myself with and there is nothing with which to reproach the Croatian Conference of Bishops. In relevant instances, the bishops have intervened verbally and in writing, and in their responsibility informed believers and the Church public.
In support of the attack against the Croatian bishops, alleged quotations are taken from letters by the Serbian Patriarch Irinej to Pope Francis. I say “alleged” because we do not have access to these letters. We do not know and ask ourselves how the public has come upon something that is considered a discretionary relationship between the Pope and the Patriarch. However, we do not have to be concerned about this.

4. As priests, we have the duty to call for calm, prayer and trust in the Lord. It is clear to us that the Blessed Alojzije is being reproached for his love of his homeland and, ultimately, his commitment to the good for people of any race and nationality is not being challenged. There is too much evidence for that. However, he cannot be forgiven because he believed that the Croatian nation, like other nations, has the right to its own state.
Therefore, attempts are repeatedly made to use Cardinal Stepinac for political objectives, falsifying the facts, distorting interpretations of what he did and said, and persistently repeating the lies leveled against him during his trial by a kangaroo court. The Blessed Alojzije does not need particular defense because the sanctity of his life provides adequate testimony but it is to be expected that the Croatian state, for the sake its present and future, should more systematically devote itself through its institutions to illuminating the whole truth about this difficult period in our history.

As I have already said many times, the canonization of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac has not been called into question because it is an internal matter of the Catholic Church. What has already been done will not be re-examined. There will be no auditing of the process, which is nearly complete. The working group consisting of experts from the Catholic Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church under the auspices of the Holy See, which was initiated by Pope Francis but has not been formed as yet and should complete its work within a short time, will not affect the canonization process but has the purpose of joint reflection upon the role of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac during the Second World War, in the hope that the work of this group will serve to burnish the reputation of the Beatus and contribute to a reconciliation between the Churches and peoples.

Brothers and sisters, it is important to realize that the truth has made strides on a path from which there is no return. We know that this truth, at the moment known by Providence, will be merged with our joy in the celebration of the canonization of the Blessed Alojzije.

5. Although some believe that canonization would strain the ecumenical relations between the two Churches, Catholic and Serbian Orthodox, we have always said that this is not the case because we realize from recent efforts that relations have not improved but the opposite is occurring.

In acts that we have witnessed in the society, we read intentions that are familiar to us, which are to divide our Church through untruths, sow distrust toward the bishops, set the Croatian bishops in opposition to the Pope, and instill dissatisfaction and sadness in the Croatian nation. It is necessary to state clearly that all this embitters the hearts of our faithful. The Croatian people have sensed a type of injustice, encroachment upon that which is the most sacred. We as pastors very keenly sense that the souls of our faithful are anguished by untruths and trampled in their dignity. In all of this, we are called to continue to stand lovingly by the truth, in the manner of Christ and Stepinac.
In the attempt to divide the Church in our country, veiled attempts to undermine our believers’ confidence in the Pope are necessarily noticed. Therefore, I urge all of you, brothers and sisters, no matter what, to be like the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, ceaselessly fostering communion with and sincere love for the Successor of Peter. If you experience any doubts, ask yourself what the Blessed Alojzije would do in such a situation and you will find the answer at every moment in your life. The merciful God will not deny his mercy.
I commend everyone to the heavenly intercession of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac.