Zagreb, (IKA) – The 40th Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences opened in Zagreb on September 30. The theme this year is “Demographics and the Family in Europe.” Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor of Croatia attended the opening ceremonies.
The assembly participants were first addressed by Archbishop Josip Cardinal Bozanić of Zagreb, Vice President of the CCEE, who particularly greeted Cardinal Marc Oullet, attending the Plenary Assembly for the first time in the capacity of the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, as well as representatives of the Holy See. Cardinal Bozanić said that this assembly is a cause for joy among the Croatian people and that the religious communities and lay faithful are accompanying its work with their prayers.
Those gathered were then addressed by the President of the CCEE, Archbishop Peter Cardinal Erdö of Esztergom-Budapest. He welcomed the presidents of the European bishops’ conferences, the representatives of the presidents who were unable to participate in the assembly for various reasons; the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari; the Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, Archbishop André Dupuis; the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Msgr. Aldo Giordano; the Bishops-Presidents of the CCEE Commissions, the President and Secretary General of the COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community); the representative of CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council), Juan Vicente Cordoba Villota, S.J.; the Apostolic Administrator of Atyrau in Kazahkstan; and the Secretary General of SECAM (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar).
Greeting the Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference of Turkey, the President of the CCEE recalled Msgr. Luigi Padovese, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia, who was brutally murdered on June 3 of this year. In his introductory remarks, Cardinal Erdö briefly mentioned the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, “the pastor of this Church … who suffered many hardships and imprisonment for refusing to accommodate to Tito’s maneuvers designed to create a national Church in Yugoslavia separate from Rome. In the year when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of his birthday – dies natalis – through his martyrdom, we especially wish to recall that during the very difficult times when atheistic communism was imposed, the Blessed Stepinac fought to defend the fundamental rights of every person and every nation in a Christian way, and sacrificed himself in order to defend and protect all the persecuted. In his writings, especially his letters, the cardinal sought to instill confidence and courage in all the representatives of the Church and the faithful who turned to him for advice in order to be comforted by his leadership during the dark years of militant atheism imposed upon the peoples of Yugoslavia by Tito’s policies. In his testimony, the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac stood in solidarity and spiritual unity with other bishops of Central and Eastern Europe, a region that had been cynically thrown as spoils to Stalinism,” said Cardinal Erdö. Within the context of the presentation by the President of the CCEE, a message to the participants in the assembly from Pope Benedict XVI was read aloud.
Those present were also addressed by the Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Jadranka Kosor, who welcomed the assembly participants on behalf of her government. Among other things, Prime Minister Kosor recalled the measures undertaken by her government regarding population policy. These efforts by the government, as she said, are slowly beginning to yield results. She presented the statistic that there were 16,000 more newborns last year than in 2003.
The participants in the assembly were then addressed by the President of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Osijek. He briefly spoke about the creation of the Croatian Conference of Bishops and also emphasized that the relations with the state authorities are correct and the Republic of Croatia has signed four contracts with the Holy See. Following Bishop Srakić’s remarks, the work of the assembly continued behind closed doors.