Stara Gradiška, (IKA) – On September 24, the archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, together with the auxiliary bishops of Zagreb, led a priestly pilgrimage of the Zagreb Archdiocese to Stara Gradiška, Jasenovac and Petrinja. The first stop on the pilgrimage was Stara Gradiška. The priests toured the prison complex and the building site of the new parish church that is being raised in commemoration of the suffering of the priests, religious and faithful who were tortured and incarcerated in the Stara Gradiška prison. In an address to the priest-pilgrims, Cardinal Bozanić said “it is poignant to stand before the mystery of priestly sacrifice, before the reality and images that have been carved into the memories of our fellow brothers. … Today, without forgetting a single victim of injustice in this place, we call particular attention to the priests, because the sacrifices of all the others are reflected in their sacrifice. We know that many of the lay faithful suffered here for the faith but we also know that striking the shepherds was a particular priority for those in power,” said the cardinal.
“The exterior framework of this prison has remained in such a condition that it is not difficult for our thoughts to be transported back to the time when our fellow brothers bore witness here to the faith and fidelity from which we live today. It is not difficult to imagine those who gave and carried out orders, who by demeaning the innocent sought to shackle the Word of God that lived in the fervent souls and haggard bodies of the prisoners. It is not difficult to imagine the pain endured by the priests, as well as their questioning of the meaning of their priesthood and the future of the Church while being forced by the authorities to tear down the parish church, remove the brick walls, and endure trials, while at the same time experiencing the power of fidelity to the Lord who had called them to serve the Church in the presbyterium. Amidst the dust of the ruins lived a treasure that was inaccessible to their tormenters: the Church they could not reach and the truth proclaimed through them that ‘the Word of God is not shackled.’ The priests were well aware that only our lack of faith can diminish the power of the freedom of the Word of God. Separated from their flocks and offices, incorporated into a spiritual home which is not the work of human hands but connects that of this world with eternity, they did not cease to be priests, offering themselves as victims in the sacrifice of Christ,” said the cardinal, commenting that while the powerful of this world think that they build the future and write the important pages of history, directing it according to their will, the imprisoned priests were a prophetic voice and body, forced into silence and life under inhumane conditions, and thus created events that were actually guided by the Holy Spirit.
Commenting to the priests that this significant pilgrimage, an incentive for which was the Year for Priests, proclaimed the motto: “The Fidelity of Christ – The Fidelity of the Priest” in an exceptional manner, the cardinal said that they also remember those priests who, in their weakness, did not see the glory of the cross behind suffering and capitulated before threats.
Speaking about priestly fidelity, the cardinal explained that it is derived from faith that God leads everything, even the greatest suffering, toward the good, adding that there is no priestly fidelity without God, without the celebration of the sacraments in complete devotion and, especially without the Eucharist and regular confession. “In suffering incarceration, in this and so many other places, the brothers were first of all focused upon their own souls and missions, but to no lesser degree upon the suffering of the Blessed Aloysius Stepinac. His fidelity strengthened the power of their community in suffering. Fidelity became credibility that reaches us. Here, we may freely say that we are the fruits of this fidelity. Therefore the martyred strength of our fellow brothers obligates us,” said the cardinal to the priests.
He emphasized that our priest-martyrs convey the message that historical events without God bring fear, and fear brings the loss of freedom. Imposed uncertainty, either real or imagined, promotes fear, and extortion is used as a pretext for the appearance of false saviors and liberators, educators and leaders, as well as despondency that is the fruit of even greater fear, said the cardinal.
“This church we are building is a visible sign of the priestly fidelity, the source of strength, the community of faith and the Church, and unity in love. From the inhumanity of the communist system and the terror of its adherents, as well as the betrayal of faith in the good, the negation of God, freedom, homeland and everything which genuinely forms the meaning of life has been introduced into the society. Upon a place symbolic of evil, a church has sprung up, a place of love created by God’s kingdom. Contemplating the models of the holy priests, participants in the passion of Christ in the most profound manner, we think today about our mission and the demands of recent times when there has been no dearth of attempts by some new tyrants, whose prisons have walls and dungeons that are more difficult to recognize, to suffocate the Church amidst ruins and dust, said Archbishop Bozanić to the priests.