Zagreb, (IKA) – The members of the Permanent Council of the Croatian Conference of Bishops have sent an invitation to the faithful on the occasion of the forthcoming visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Croatia, as follows:
“After numerous inquiries from the faithful about the possibility of participating in the encounters with the Pope, we bishops of the Permanent Council of the Croatian Conference of Bishops have decided to address the entire Catholic public. The Holy Father Benedict XVI, leader of the Catholic Church, the supreme authority of modern humanity, is coming to us Croats at a time when the dignity of our nation has been wounded, in order to strengthen our faith in God, the absolute Lord of history. He is coming to us in order to strengthen us in God’s love, which means compassion, sacrifice, submission to injustice, acceptance of those who are different, and forgiveness to all who do us harm. He is coming to visit us in order to strengthen us in the Divine hope that we will preserve our national dignity and that truth and justice will conquer. The pastoral visit by the Holy Father is a unique opportunity for us to gather from all parts of our beautiful country and from outside its borders, in a magnificent Croatian national Eucharistic celebration. On the occasion of the first national encounter of Croatian Catholic families, we entrust to the Lord our past, present and future, ourselves and our families, the entire Croatian nation and all the inhabitants of our homeland. May our participation in this unique celebration with the Pope be a witness and sign of our sincere love of God, love of man and love of our homeland. Therefore, we invite all of you, dear faithful, to come to the Zagreb Hippodrome and join in prayer together with the Pope, whose visit to us Croats is a particular honor and confirmation of our bond with the Universal Church, as well as our belonging to the community of the nations of Europe and the world. Dear faithful, brothers and sisters, all of you who want to participate in the Mass but are still not registered will be provided with simple access to tickets in your parishes and at the Hippodrome area. In the spirit of the motto of the Pope’s visit, we urge all of us these days to be ‘Together in Christ.'”