Cardinal Bozanic said that last night's vigils and this liturgical service were acts of celebration of the Christ's resurrection and presented the faithful's prayers for the deceased pope.
"We are now celebrating the victory of life over death," the primate of the Catholic Church in Croatia said.
Bozanic, together with the apostolic nuncio to Croatia, Francisco Javier Lozano, and auxiliary bishops held the requiem mass in a packed cathedral. About 10,000 people gathered in and around the cathedral for this mass. The service was also attended by top Croatian officials, including President Stjepan Mesic, Sabor Speaker Vladimir Seks and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader.
Earlier in the day, Cardinal Bozanic instructed that at the start of the funeral rites on Friday, church bells in the Zagreb Archdiocese would toll for the deceased Holy Father for 15 minutes.
According to a press release issued by the office of the Zagreb Archbishop, every priest in the archdiocese is due to hold a commemorative service for Pope Karol Wojtyla.
Requiem masses are being said all over Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Cardinal Bozanic, together with the primate of the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, will on Monday night fly to the Vatican to attend the funeral rites and take part in the election of Wojtyla's successor.
The Croatian government has declared Monday, Tuesday and Friday, the day of the pope's burial, as days of mourning.