"Benedict XVI will be visiting Croatia on June 4th and 5th. It’s a return
visit because he went to Croatia several times as a cardinal. It’s a return visit
because Croatia has been visited by a Pope as many as three times in the last twenty
years. We could say that the Pope feels at home in Croatia. It’s a country with deep
Christian and Catholic roots, roots it has preserved with loyalty in difficult times
- those of the past century in particular. This loyalty has been repaid by the closeness
and solidarity of the Holy See. Today, Croatia faces the challenge of secularisation:
the family and youth are crucial challenges it has to deal with. That’s why the central
events of the Pope’s trip are his participation in the meeting with Croatian Catholic
Families, and with young people. “Together in Christ” is the motto of the visit. In
a world where new forms of communication continue to multiply and affect our lives,
authentic encounters and shared communion among people appear to be ever more difficult.
The Church relies on Christ to support the unity and mission of the family and
to fuel hope for the future of young people. This is how it serves the human community
in general, and the national community of Croatia which, having survived the disintegration
of the former Yugoslavia, is now preparing to join the European community of nations
more deeply by entering the European Union. The Pope hopes this can happen with the
contribution of the culture and values that are part of Croatia’s great tradition.
Important figures continue to act as sources of inspiration: people like Jesuit scientist
Ruggero Boscovich, or Blessed Ivan Merz, and the great pastor and martyr, Blessed
Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac. Together in Christ, and with the Pope, we must look to
the future with faith and courage."