Zagreb, November 18, 1999 (IKA) — The Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops issued a public statement today, November 18, following a special plenary session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops held yesterday, November 17, in the Palace of the Archbishop in Zagreb. The session was opened by the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, and attended by the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Giulio Eiunaudi. At this session, there was discussion about the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops, the current conditions in society with particular attention to the forthcoming elections for the members of the Croatian House of Representatives, and the preparation of a financial system within the Church.
Archbishop Bozanić, Bishop Želimir Puljić of Dubrovnik, and Bishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Srijem reported on the synod.
Discussing the position of the Croatian Conference of Bishops in connection with the forthcoming elections, the Croatian bishops concluded that the Justitia et Pax Commission of the Croatian Conference of Bishops had already spoken about this matter in a statement issued on November 10, and that in the coming days the bishops would issue a pastoral message concerning these elections.
“Under these special conditions, the bishops invited the faithful to prayer for the Homeland and the health of the President of the Republic of Croatia. At the same time, the bishops recommend to all, particularly the mass media, to respect the intimate nature of prayer and not distort its intention for other purposes. The Church has always prayed and will continue to pray for national leaders and all persons in positions of responsibility, because they are called upon to serve the general good. The bishops urge the citizens, particularly those in positions of responsibility in the Croatian society, to respect the law, legality and regular procedure of the government institutions and thereby contribute to the general good and continued development of democratic principles in our country,” reads the statement from the Croatian bishops. Furthermore, the members of the Commission for Preparing Documents on the Allocation of the Material Property of the Church, headed by Archbishop Ivan Prenđa of Zadar and Bishop Srakić, reported on their activities, seeking the opinion of all the bishops for further work on the document. There was also mention of the beginning of the Great Jubilee and the celebrations that will be organized on this occasion in Croatian cathedrals.