Zagreb, April 12, 2002 (IKA) — The central topic at the 24th Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops was the question of the pastoral guidelines for the Church in Croatia at the beginning of the new millennium, said the archbishop of Rijeka, Ivan Devčić, at today’s press conference held at the secretariat of the CCB.
As the president of the Commission for Relations with the Government, the CCB appointed Bishop Antun Škorčević of Požega to replace Bishop Želimir Puljić of Dubrovnik, who had served in this capacity for many years. Auxiliary Bishop Josip Mrzljak of Zagreb was appointed as a new member of the commission.
At the Spring Session of the CCB, the Rev. Robert Štreter, a priest of the Zagreb Archdiocese, was appointed as the head of Croatian Catholic Radio and will assume his duties on July 1. It was decided that the Press Office of the CCB will be connected with the Catholic Press Agency—IKA—Zagreb. The Press Office will be moved to the same building housing IKA, Kaptol 4, and the head of IKA, the Rev. Anton Šuljić, will also be the head the Press Office. IKA staff will do work for the Press Office.
A proposed law was considered regarding the legal position of religious communities, with particular emphasis on the need to define religious communities.
Auxiliary Bishop Đuro Hranić of Đakovo and Srijem reported on conclusions by the bishops in connection with a seminar for evangelization. It was decided that the seminar organizers will not be permitted to invite outside preachers without previous permission from the local bishop. Exorcists coming from the outside also must receive permission from the local ordinary for conducting exorcisms within the territory of the diocese.
Auxiliary Bishop Vlado Košić spoke about preparations for the celebration of Central European Catholic Days, to be held on May 22 and 23, 2004. As part of the preparations, an international symposium will be organized in Croatia on the topic of Marriage and the Family.
The bishops considered individual questions in connection with the new Religious Communities Act, with which they are generally satisfied, but they will request their experts for opinions regarding certain concepts, particularly the question of the definition of a religious community.
The bishops assembled in Zagreb issued an invitation for prayer and solidarity, thereby responding to the invitation of the Holy Father joining the prayers of the whole Church for a just peace in the Holy Land, while at the same time noting the gravity of the situation in the homeland.
In their invitation, the bishops emphasized that they are greatly disturbed by the crises, difficulties and uncertainties being experienced by so many young people and fathers without work or who are have been fired from their jobs. “In a special way, we are thinking about the difficulties and humiliations being experienced these days by persecuted and expelled families from Drvar. Therefore, we issue our joint pastoral appeal to all of you, brothers and sisters. Let us be truly close to them in our prayers, demonstrating and bearing witness in deed to our human and Christian solidarity,” they said in their invitation. The bishops emphasized that we should also include in our prayers all those responsible in our society, so that they do not lose sight of the individual and general good, because laws and politics are made for the person, and not vice versa. In their appeal for prayer, the bishops invited the faithful and all the parish and diocesan branches of Caritas from our Church to manifest more evident and better organized human, Christian and homeland solidarity toward all who are endangered and in need of spiritual and material assistance. (j04278hr/kj)