Zagreb, (IKA) – A special plenary session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, chaired by the President of the CCB, Archbishop Želimir Puljić of Zadar, was held on January 21, 2013, at the headquarters of the CCB in Zagreb. The Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Alessandro D’Errico, also participated in the session. Bishop Ilija Janjić of Kotor attended part of the session as a guest.
In greetings at the beginning of the session, the President of the CCB, Archbishop Puljić, referring to the current situation of the Church in the Croatian society, recalled a homily delivered by Pope Benedict XVI on the Feast of the Epiphany, in which he said that Church doctrine frequently does not correspond to public opinion and discussed the role of the bishop under such circumstances. In this sense, the Pope cautioned that bishops must have the courage to contradict totalitarian attitudes and ideas and should do so in a manner in which their strength is not manifested by aggression or violence but by upright behavior and, if necessary, the patient endurance of blows. It is the duty of the bishop, said the Holy Father, to stand by the truth and not be afraid because “who fears the Lord” is liberated from fear and concerns, and is free in the true sense of the word.
It was pointed out that the person of our time is exposed to numerous and dangerous manipulations, not infrequently in the name of “science,” where the person’s inherent dignity is forgotten. When this happens, someone must raise a voice on behalf of the person and on behalf of humanity. In this context, the cry of our local Church in defense of the person concerning the fourth module of health education is understandable. Attention was called to the fact that certain areas of culture, philosophy, art and literature in Europe have been poisoned by ideas of the “culture of death,” which undermine Christian culture and civilization.
The bishops also discussed the current issue of health education in the schools. Attention was called to the trend of promoting gender ideologies, which seeks to impose itself throughout the world. A chronology was presented of the introduction of health education into Croatian schools, with particular emphasis on the absence of any kind of public debate regarding this important segment of education, from which interested parties have been excluded, especially parents. In this sense, the bishops recalled unsuccessful attempts by the Croatian Conference of Bishops to establish dialogue with representatives of the public authorities on this issue, as well as the inappropriate, insulting and discriminatory statements by representatives of the authorities and one part of the media. It was particularly emphasized that following the autumn session, the Croatian Conference of Bishops sent an official letter to the Government of the Republic of Croatia on November 15, 2012, requesting discussion of current issues, which has still not received an official response.
The Apostolic Nuncio expressed satisfaction he could join the bishops in examining this exceptionally important subject that elicits great attention among the Croatian public. He expressed the hope that this meeting would contribute to the resolution of this contentious matter. It was concluded that the bishops would issue a special statement on this subject from the session.
In the continuation of the session, the President of the Council of the CCB for Life and the Family, Bishop Valter Župan of Krk, presented the plan and program of National Study Day for those involved in marriage and family ministry, to be held in Zadar in April 2013. The main topic of the Study Day will be “From the Theology of the Body to the Gospel of Life.”
At the session, representatives of the Croatian Conference Bishops to mixed working bodies of the Catholic Church and Government of the Republic of Croatia were appointed, according to the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.