Zagreb, (IKA) – At a press conference held today on the occasion of the 37th Plenary Session of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, held in Šibenik, Archbishop Ivan Devčić of Rijeka, a member of the Permanent Council of the CCB, presented the CCB position on several current issues in the Croatian society, according to an announcement issued by the Press Office of the Croatian Conference of Bishops.
The Croatian bishops salute the setting of a date for the completion of negotiations in the process of the accession of Croatia to the European Union. Therefore, at this session the bishops formed the Episcopal Commission for Relations with the European Union, which should help Croatia’s accession to the EU to have a Christian and spiritual dimension.
“In addition, the bishops expressed concern due to the wave of violence that has been afflicting our society and supported the efforts of those responsible who seek to oppose crime and corruption decisively. Therefore, the bishops support all undertakings for the purpose of improving the function of the legal state and its institutions, as well as the desire of all citizens to get to the root of the malignant phenomena and find not only the perpetrators but also those who ordered the crimes. Furthermore, they caution that human rights must be respected in such activity. The bishops express the opinion that the situation does not require extraordinary measures. They believe that it is sufficient for all the institutions to fulfill that which is under their authority. The bishops, together with all citizens, share concern due to the spread of violence among children and young people, and urge serious confrontation with this dangerous phenomenon in order to investigate and eliminate the causes for such a situation. In the opinion of the bishops, violence among children is a sign of the increasing weakness of the family, which is the first and fundamental institution responsible for the raising and socializing of children. Therefore, the bishops appeal to all the public officials to help the family fulfill its basic task, according to the principles of subsidiarity. It is also necessary to offer such assistance consistently to the schools as well as to all other institutions entrusted with children and young people. Violence among children and all other forms of violence are indicative of the profound crisis of our society, the consequences of the war and transitions that must be healed, and the crisis in those values which give meaning to the life of the individual and enable him to be a responsible member of society. It is particularly important to ask what kinds of models are being provided to young people via the media and in other ways and to investigate the connection between violence among the young and the corruption and crime in society, which show that goals in life can be more easily achieved by dishonest rather than honest means. The bishops point out the valuable and powerful role of the media, and appeal to the media to inform the public in the most objective manner possible, which cannot be achieved by concentrating solely on reporting crimes and accidents but by also reporting good news. In order for the media to be able to present a comprehensive picture of that which is actually happening in the society, it is necessary to see the society in its entirety and also to report on the good that occurs. In such a manner, it is necessary to encourage and inspire the young to follow the path of good. While the bishops salute all the measures undertaken for combating violence and crime, they also warn that all this will not lead to the desired results without continued efforts for the spiritual and moral renewal of our society. The fulfillment of this extremely important goal is a task for all in our society who have an important role in it. In this sense, the Church is always prepared to provide assistance and cooperation,” said Archbishop Devčić.