Zagreb, (IKA) – A press conference on the occasion of the 38th Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops was held on April 23 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute in Zagreb. The topics discussed at the session were presented by the chairman of the Committee of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for the Mass Media, Archbishop Ivan Devčić of Rijeka; the chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Auxiliary Bishop Vlado Košić of Zagreb; and the president of Caritas Croatia, Bishop Josip Mrzljak of Varaždin.
Archbishop Devčić told the journalists that at the plenary session of the CCB, which will conclude tonight, several delegations partcipated from the bishops’ conferences of neighboring countries: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the International Conference of Bishops of SS. Cyril and Methodius, Slovenia, Poland and Italy. The Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, participated on the first day. The main topics of the session were the Church and the media, priests and lay persons who suffered martyrdom during the communist period, the 600th anniversary of the shrine in Ludbreg, the establishment of new dioceses, about which it was said that the Holy See has the final word, and the Church regarding new religious phenomena. At the session, as reported by Archbishop Devčić, there was also mention of the work of Caritas Croatia, reports were submitted by the bodies of the Croatian Conference of Bishops and the necessary appointments were made.
As the chairman of the Committee of the CCB for the Mass Media, Archbishop Devčić spoke about the topic of the Church and the media, observing that to a great extent the media in Croatia is under monopoly ownership, which has resulted in the impoverishment and commercialization of media contents. Various influences have been noted that conflict with the fundamental principles of the journalism profession. Therefore, the bishops expressed their support for free media in which journalists would be able to do their work without outside interference, pressure or intervention.
At the session, the bishops also pointed out the importance of the Church media. The committee proposed the that a plan should be prepared for a body that would encompass all the media active within the Croatian Conference of Bishops, with the task of coordinating everything that the CCB already has as well as proposing new contents, particularly concerning new media, together with the use and application of new technologies.

The second topic presented by Archbishop Devčić was religious phenomena, both inside and outside the Church. At the session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, as he said, there was discussion of the need for educating the faithful to distinguish what is positive in these movements and to what extent, in compliance with authentic Church magisterium. Archbishop Devčić also emphasized that faith is an act of the entire person, i.e. his intellect, rationality and emotionality, and cautioned that in these movements emphasis is placed upon only one aspect of religious experience, most frequently emotionality.

Bishop Mrzljak spoke about the measures that Caritas Croatia plans to undertake during the present crisis. He said that the need was pointed out at the session for activity on the national, diocesan and parish levels, but that the parish level was especially important because it is closest to the people. Therefore, the bishops expressed their encouragement of the organized parish branches of Caritas and pointed out that Caritas can also provide inspiration to others capable of providing assistance. Furthermore, initiatives are anticipated regarding the providing of aid in individual situations, concrete proposals for stimulating creativity, and new undertakings for branches of Caritas to initiate and organize.
Bishop Mrzljak also spoke about the 600th anniversary of the Shrine of the Most Precious Blood of Christ in Ludbreg, which will be commemorated in the year 2011. Every year on Holy Sunday, celebrated on the first Sunday in September, 40,000 to 50,000 believers assemble at the shrine.

Bishop Košić spoke about the priests and faithful who suffered martyrdom during the communist period. He said that the sacrifices of these Croatian martyrs, whose number is not small in proportion to the Croatian population, should not be forgotten. At the session, the need was emphasized for investigating the crimes perpetrated against Croats after the Second World War and suitably commemorating the memory of these victims. The Đakovo-Osijek Archdiocese and Požega Diocese have issued two publications about this subject, and a similar project is in progress in the Zagreb Archdiocese. Bishop Košić also mentioned the monumental work by Don Anto Baković, Hrvatski martirologij XX. stoljeća (Croatian Martyrology of the Twentieth Century), which is about the 663 martyrs of the Church among the Croats during the 20th century. It was also mentioned that the Church of Croatian Martyrs in Udbina will be a place of memorial for all Croatian martyrs. However, he also said that there must be centers with memorials to these victims in all the dioceses. He also referred to the concealed graves, such as the one recently discovered in an old mine close to the village of Huda Jama near Laško in Slovenia. The bishops’ position is that investigation of these graves should continue, they should be marked in a suitable manner, and the criminals should be processed. However, the chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops stressed that it is most important to uncover the truth, which was concealed for a long time. He also said that he had the impression that many are still concealing the truth today, not only those connected with the crimes in some manner but also state institutions. Otherwise, how can it be explained that nearly nothing has been undertaken to reveal the truth about these terrible crimes after 18 years of independence?
He also informed the journalists that within the organization of the officers of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, the vice president of which is Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, a meeting entitled The Church’s Attitude toward the Crisis will be held on June 9 of this year. On this occasion, the officers of the CCEE will meet with the heads of the Justice and Peace Commissions of the European Bishops’ Conferences.

The bishops then answered questions from journalists. Archbishop Devčić was asked to comment on the student protests in Zagreb and Zadar. He said that in principle he supported the resolution of problems through dialogue and that all must be aware of the current situation but the possibility of meeting the student demands should be seriously considered. Furthermore, Archbishop Devčić said that it is necessary to bear in mind that Croatia lags behind other European countries in terms of the percentage of persons with college educations.
One of the journalists’ questions concerned SOS shops selling inexpensive items to the needy, such as those which have been opened, for example, in neighboring Slovenia due to the current financial crisis. Bishop Mrzljak said that there is no legal provision in Croatia for Caritas to establish shops. Caritas is only permitted to collect goods and distribute them among those in need, i.e. serve as an intermediary and not as a merchant that sells goods, said Bishop Mrzljak.