Zagreb, September 24, 1999 (IKA) — The central topics of the Nineteenth Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, held at the Diocesan Ordinariate in Varaždin from September 20 to 23, 1993, were cooperation between the clergy and laity in the mission of the Church, preparations for the celebration of the Great Jubilee, and there was mention of the situation in the area of catechesis and promotion of the social doctrine of the Church, as well as the tasks of the central and diocesan institutions for supporting the clergy and other Church officials. The statement from the session issued by the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops also mentions that there have been changes in the leadership of some of the bodies of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.
One of the central topics at the session was the holding of diocesan Eucharistic Congresses. The bishops decided that the theme of the Eucharistic Congresses in Croatia would be identical to that of the International Eucharistic Congress in Rome: “Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world, the bread for a new life.” The motto for the Eucharistic Congresses in Croatia will be “Hail, Body of Jesus, born of a Virgin.” Intense preparations for these Eucharistic Congresses will occur during Lent. The bishops will issue guidelines for preparations for the Eucharistic Congresses, and suitable liturgical material will also be provided. The president of the Committee for the Great Jubilee, Bishop Marko Culej of Varaždin, reported to the Croatian bishops regarding concrete steps in preparation for the Great Jubilee, noting that the Committee has printed posters with the main messages and information for the celebration. Discussing the preparations for the Great Jubilee 2000, the bishops pointed out the importance of the Christmas season this year, because the beginning of the celebration of the Great Jubilee begins with Christmas 1999. The bishops expressed their unanimous position that the Christmas season, particularly the Christmas octave, is a completely “unsuitable period for everything that does not belong to this period in Croatian Catholic tradition and civilized taste.” Since the elections for members of the Lower House of the Croatian Parliament are coming, the bishops will speak out about this matter to the faithful.
One of the key topics at the session was the question of cooperation between the clergy and laity in the mission of the Church, about which Auxiliary Bishop Marin Barišić of Split-Makarska and Auxiliary Bishop Josip Mrzljak of Zagreb spoke. In the ensuing discussion, the bishops analyzed the conditions and the objective difficulties that do not exist solely in our homeland but also in the other countries of the former communist block of Eastern and Central Europe. They concluded that discussion of these questions would have to be continued at the next plenary session.
Speaking about the tasks of the Central and diocesan institutions for supporting the clergy and other Church officials, it was said that within the framework of these institutions it would be necessary to prepare a model of a new financial system for our Church as soon as possible, based on Conciliar and Post-Conciliar Church rulings. It is necessary to work out a new system of economic operations that would make the self-financing of the Church possible, including appropriate and fair rewards to priests for their work. Thus will the bishops approach the preparation of a document that will serve as the foundation of a system for the self-financing of the Church. To head the Commission for the preparation of this document, the bishops appointed Archbishop Ivan Prenđa of Zadar and Bishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Srijem.
Regarding the conditions in the area of catechesis and the promotion of the social doctrine of the Church, on the second day of the session the bishops heard reports from the head of the National Catechesis Office, Msgr. Milan Šimunović and the head of the Center of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for the Promotion of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Prof. Stjepan Baloban. The bishops expressed their satisfaction with the engagement of these two Church institutions and urged their leadership to even more wholehearted engagement in the areas of catechesis and promoting the social doctrine of the Church.
Changes also occurred in the leadership of some of the bodies of the Croatian Conference of Bishops. The new president of the Council for the Laity is Auxiliary Bishop Mile Bogović of Rijeka-Senj. A new three-member delegation from the Croatian Conference of Bishops to the Mixed Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, the Bosnian-Herzegovian Conference of Bishops, the Croatian Conference of Religious Superiors, and the Croatian Union of Female Religious Superiors. The delegation from the Croatian Conference of Bishops will be comprised of Bishop Ante Ivas of Šibenik as the president of the delegation, Bishop Antun Škvorčević of Požega and Bishop Ivan Milovan of Poreč-Pula. Also, the Rev. Lino Zohil was appointed as the new head of the Central Institution of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for the Support of the Clergy and other Church Officials. Dr. Ivan Ćubelić was appointed to head the Legal Services of the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops and as the moderator of the work of the Councils and Commissions of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.
The bishops also decided that during the Prayer Octave for the Unity of Christians, on January 24, 2000, all the members of the Croatian Conference of Bishops will participate in joint prayer at the Zagreb Cathedral. Bishop Želimir Puljić of Dubrovnik reported to the bishops on the exhibition “Christianity among the Croats” that will be open in the Vatican from October 28, 1999 to January 15, 2000. Seven bishops from the Croatian Conference of Bishops will attend the opening of the exhibition, led by the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb. The new auxiliary bishop of Rijeka-Senj, Mile Bogović, spoke about the situation of the Church in that region. The president of the Council for the Family, Bishop Valter Župan of Krk, informed the bishops about the preparations being made for the Symposia on the Dignity and Status of the Human Embryo, to be held in Zagreb, Rijeka and Split from March 14 to 18, 2000. A one-day symposium will be held in each of these three cities.
In addition to all the members of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, the session was attended by the apostolic nuncio to the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Giulio Einaudi; the delegate from the Bosnian-Herzegovian Conference of Bishops, Auxiliary Bishop Pero Sudar of Sarajevo; Bishop Ivan Penzeš of Subotica (Yugoslavia), and parts of the session were also attended by retired Archbishop Cardinal Franjo Kuharić, retired Archbishop Marijan Oblak of Zadar and retired Bishop Ćiril Kos of Đakovo-Srijem.