Udbina, (IKA) — “In this historical place of Udbina, in a certain way the Christian historical heritage of continental Croatia crosses and is linked with the Christian heritage of Dalmatian and Istrian Croatia,” said the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, in an address to the approximately 3,000 assembled faithful, Croatian archbishops and bishops, the Croatian army and representatives of other institutions, at a Mass in commemoration of the 510th anniversary of Battle of Krbava in Udbina.
On September 9, 1493, at the field of Krbava (Krbavsko Polje), over 10,000 Croatian defenders are said to have lost their lives in a battle with the Turkish invaders and the Croatian nobility was destroyed. This event is considered to be the greatest tragedy in Croatian history. The commemoration of this tragic event is intended to rescue its memory from oblivion, which until now has not been marked by so much as a commemorative plaque.
The Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Marin Barišić of Split-Makarska, Archbishop Ivan Prenđa of Zadar, Archbishop Ivan Devčić of Rijeka, and eight more Croatian archbishops and bishops, among whom was Bishop Mile Bogović of Gospić-Senj who delivered the homily. Present at the Mass were the speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Zlatko Tomčić and many representatives of political parties, as well as representatives of social, scientific and cultural institutions in Croatia. There were also representatives of the Ninth and Fourth National Guard Brigade with their military chaplains as well as eighth-grade students from most of the schools in Lika-Senj County. The Mass was sung in the Old Slavic language by the choir of the Baščina Friends of Glagolitism from Zagreb, conducted by Izak Špralj.

“Today we want to commemorate the countless patriots and altruists who gave their lives for others during the course of history, because by giving their lives for the safety of their brothers and sisters, they affirmed their Christian love of neighbor and thereby incorporated their lives into the lives of future generations. It is with emotion that we think of the pages of our contemporary history, pages of fidelity to Christ and his gospel from the twentieth century. All this history of grace exists for us today as an incentive for us to think about the present and an invitation for us to build the future before us. This history first of all becomes an appeal for spiritual renewal because the profound and still unhealed wounds caused by the terrible war can only be healed through working for reconciliation, solidarity and social justice, which requires, as the Holy Father said, “the courage of the individual imbued with faith, open to brotherly love, receptive to the defense of the dignity of the person, who is created in the image of God,” said Archbishop Bozanić in his introductory address, emphasizing that this encounter was taking place as a sign of gratitude for the Pope’s third visit to our homeland. Thanking the initiators of the celebration, particularly Bishop Mile Bogović of Gospić-Senj, the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops expressed his support for the cooperation between the Church and civil authorities in the building of the Church of Croatian Martyrs in Udbina.

During the homily, Bishop Bogović said that the Pope encourages us to honor and remember our martyrs. Speaking about the mystery of the cross, he mentioned St. Helena, who in seeking Christ’s cross found the purpose of life. The bishop warned that we must learn how to live from those who sacrificed their lives. We must live for that which is to come. He pointed out that the young have the right to expect us to build the present in such a way that they will be able to live in peace and safety. “We did not, brothers and sisters, come here to celebrate our ancient defeat but the generous readiness of our ancestors to lay down their lives for others. . . . We should not be slaves to the past but whoever does not see a reason for gratitude toward those who indebted us to them in our past will also not see a reason to work today for those who will come after us,” said Bishop Bogović, who also pointed out that the Croatian martyrs of the Gospić-Senj Diocese were not only “ethnic Croats” but also all those who lived and died as witnesses to the faith, which included people of many nations. Therefore, Bishop Bogović expressed his support for building understanding, cooperation and tolerance. “In the new church in Udbina we shall not foster enmity toward anyone. We shall build a church to honor all who knew to how live and die for there to be peace, safety and freedom for all who live here or will live here, for Croats and Serbs, for Catholics and Orthodox, believers and nonbelievers. It is true that we shall work to assure that the Croats and Catholics here never feel like foreigners or unwanted persons, because we have already been forced to flee three times in our history. However, we also want such safety for Serbs and Orthodox. . . . Let us all work toward the goal that there will never be a time when any Croat or Serb has to flee from here,” concluded the homily of Bishop Bogović.

Then the metropolitan of Rijeka, Archbishop Ivan Devčić presented the leader of the celebration, Archbishop Bozanić, with the cornerstone taken from the former cathedral of St. James in Krbava that was blessed by Pope John Paul II on June 8 of this year in Rijeka and will be incorporated in the Church of the Croatian Martyrs in Udbina.
Among other gifts presented were the Croatian first edition of a Glagolitic missal dated 1493, a Glagolitic missal from Senj and the proceedings of a symposium held on the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Krbava in 1993, when these regions were under occupation and the anniversary could not be celebrated.
A candle in the form of the Croatian tricolor with the coat-of-arms was lit at the end of the commemoration by the speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Zlatko Tomčić. Addressing those present, he expressed the hope that the Croatian martyrs who were killed on the field of Krbava will never be forgotten. He also emphasized the importance of the fact that the Croatian Conference of Bishops and the Croatian Parliament have decided to build the Church of the Croatian Martyrs in Udbina together. “May the candle that I shall now light,” said Tomčić, “be a symbol of gratitude to all of those who have indebted us.” The ceremony was followed by a presentation by Dr. Milan Kruhek on the historical circumstances of the Battle of Krbava. The opera singers Olga and Bojan Šober performed several patriotic songs.