In his sermon Lozano said that never before had millions of people been so unanimous in expressing their sadness at the death of an exceptional man, a pope. For more than 26 years John Paul II has preached the Gospel of Christian hope, teaching us that death is nothing more than a passage to our homeland in heaven, Lozano said.
He said that he had informed the Vatican State Secretariat of the expressions of sympathy and unity in prayer of the Croatian people and conveyed the Secretariat's gratitude for them.
Lozano said that the seed sown by the Holy Father in the heart of the Croatian people during his apostolic visits and his papacy would bear plenty of fruit for the present time and the future. This country has not forgotten the love which the Holy Father had for it, supporting it in the most difficult moments of its recent past, Lozano said.
The apostolic nuncio thanked representatives of the Church in Croatia, the state authorities and the entire Croatian people for their gestures of solidarity and closeness to the Holy See and the Catholic Church.
At the end of his sermon, he invoked God's blessing on the Croatian people.
Participating in the mass were also auxiliary Zagreb bishops Josip Mrzljak, Vlado Kosic and Valentin Pozaic and military ordinary Juraj Jezerinac.
A crowd of young people gathered in front of the cathedral carrying banners that read "Our holy Pope", "Saint now!" and "We will follow you".
The archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanic, called on the faithful to pray on Sunday for the Pope to rest in peace and for the successful election of a new pope.