Sarajevo, October 26, 1997 (IKA) — The Napredak Croatian Cultural Association held its annual assembly in Sarajevo on Saturday October 25, where the members analyzed the results of their activities during the past year. In the presence of many invited guests from political and cultural life, including the vice president of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haris Silajdžić ; and personal delegations from the president of the collective presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović, and collective presidency member, Krešimir Zubak; the participants in the meeting were also addressed by the assistant bishop of Sarajevo, Pero Sudar. The bishop expressed the wish that all those who are active in Napredak convey the desire and need of Croats for survival in Bosnia-Herzegovina in freedom and equality. He emphasized that today, far more than during the war years, during which Napredak did not interrupt its activities, “it is necessary to create strong springs of hope to provide strength to all who do not wish to accept the logic of evil.”
In introductory remarks, Franjo Topić, the president of Napredak, stated that with 56 branches in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and other European countries, Napredak has consistently carried out its basic commitment to contribute to a general cultural renaissance for the common good. The Napredak headquarters in Sarajevo and its branches during the past 12 months have organized 88 concerts, more than 70 other cultural manifestations and published 17 new books. Napredak also conducted nearly all the work on preparing the promotional material for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Sarajevo in April of this year. Topić emphasized that Napredak “remains wide open to all people of good will, but maintains previously established criteria … We seek measure and balance, not for a decayed compromise but as canons for life, especially in a multi-ethnic country such as Bosnia-Herzegovina. Much tact is needed to preserve the unity of the Croatian nation and to love Bosnia-Herzegovina with all its enigmas and challenges, said Topić, adding that the members of Napredak do not allow themselves to be classified as “Bosnian Catholics” or “hardcore Croats.” “We are normal Croats. We consider Bosnia-Herzegovina as our land and we want to fit into the general standards and norms of civilization,” emphasized the president of Napredak, an association that was founded in 1902 and today numbers over 20,000 members