Zagreb, April 2, 2003 (IKA) — The official logotype of the Croatian Conference of Bishops for the forthcoming third Pastoral Visit by Pope John Paul II to Croatia was presented today, April 2, at a press conference at the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops in Zagreb. It was designed by Dr. Ivan Šaško, professor of liturgy at the Catholic College of Theology, University of Zagreb. This logo, in addition to the individual diocesan logos, is for the entire territory of the Church in the Republic of Croatia and will be the main symbol for the Pope’s visit to our Church and homeland. In preparing the logo, the author united elements from local logos into a common logo.
Three colors dominate: yellow, blue and red on a white background. A thick vertical line with a somewhat thinner curved horizontal line form the sign of the cross — the basic Christian symbol. Also, yellow with white are the recognizable papal colors, and the stylized form of the cross refers to the cross of Pope John Paul II with which he travels the world and appears in public. The cross in the Croatian nation, in addition to its cultural presence since the 7th century, has also become a symbol of existence, i.e. testimony to belonging to Christ and the Catholic Church. This symbol — for the honorable cross and golden freedom” — embodies all the aspirations toward freedom and Christian civilization during the more than 13 centuries of Christianity among the Croats.
At the base of the vertical line is a stylized letter M — symbolizing Mary, to whom the Pope’s motto “Totus tuus” — “All yours” refers and whose feast day of Mary the Mother of the Church will celebrated during the Pope’s visit to Zadar on June 9. Mary is the one who prays (the logo of the Pope’s visit to Zadar particularly emphasizes this dimension, through an old Christian relic from Novalja) — and around whom the Church congregates. The Church congregated in prayer and celebration of the Mystery is suggested by the elliptically formed lines of the logo, a reference to the principal motto of the Pope’s visit — “The Family — The Way of the Church and Nation.”
From the second half of the thick yellow vertical line, stylized red rhomboids symbolizing the blood of Christ flow downward from the Cross (diminishing in size and grouped as two, three and two), seven in all, symbolizing the Croatian presence in Christ’s Cross and a general symbol of our Homeland. It is precisely this Pentecostal event that unites all the events: a call to follow Christ in religious life (Dubrovnik); the conclusion of the Synod (Đakovo-Osijek); the celebration of Pentecost (Rijeka); and the celebration of the feast of Mary the Mother of the Church (Zadar). Seven also stands for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a constituent part of the Church. This logo is entirely in keeping with the Church-Mystery. The Church-community celebrates Christ’s Mystery in communion with Mary — “the beginning of a better world.”
The three interwoven blue lines in the center form one of the oldest archeological symbols of the Christian faith — the fish (IHTHIS — Christ’s monogram and confession of faith, also a symbol of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the center of nearly all the encounters of the faithful with the Pope.
The two lower blue lines symbolize the blue of the Adriatic Sea because the Pope is visiting three Adriatic cities: Rijeka, Zadar and Dubrovnik. He is also visiting Osijek, on the Drava River, and therefore blue symbolizes nearly all the cities which the Holy Father is visiting this time.
Moreover, it should be said that the logo, although rounded and compact, is open on all sides. The Church community with the Pope at the head is in itself a unit — a family of God with many human families. Nonetheless, it remains oriented toward the world and is open to it. With this openness, it can accept the world in itself and give the world of itself. This logo symbolizes the basic message of the Pope’s Pastoral Visit. It is an event of the Church that implements its values (and celebrates the Mysteries of its faith) in the Croatian society.