ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - Pope John Paul II's third tour of Croatia, which is also his 100th travel abroad, will be the longest and richest in events to date.
ZAGREB, May 29 (Hina) - Pope John Paul II's third tour of Croatia,
which is also his 100th travel abroad, will be the longest and
richest in events to date. #L#
From June 5 through 9, along with many activities, the pope will say
four masses -- in Osijek, Rijeka, Zadar and Dubrovnik, where he will
beatify Marija Petkovic.
The pope first visited Croatia as a "pilgrim of reconciliation" on
September 10-11, 1994. This was the first official visit of a pope
to Croatia.
After Krakow Archbishop Karol Wojtyla became the pope on October
16, 1978, his sympathy towards the Croatian Church and people came
to full light.
The Holy See recognised Croatia as an independent country on
January 13, 1992.
Two years later, the pontiff arrived for his first visit, when he
met church dignitaries and senior state officials led by President
Franjo Tudjman.
On that occasion, he stressed the importance of promoting culture
of peace "inspired with a feeling of tolerance and universal
solidarity".
At a Eucharist celebration at Zagreb's racecourse on September 11,
1994, at which almost a million people gathered, the pope said peace
in the Balkans was not utopia, but it was something imposed as a
perspective of historical realism.
The pontiff made his second tour of Croatia on October 2-4, 1998,
when he visited Zagreb, Split and the shrine of Our Lady in Solin, as
well as the shrine of Marija Bistrica where he beatified Alojzije
Stepinac.
He said on this occasion that it was of vital importance that the
Croatian people remained loyal to their Christian roots.
During the beatification ceremony in Marija Bistrica, Pope John
Paul II said that the person of Alojzije Stepinac was a byword for
the overall tragedy which had struck the Croatian people and Europe
in the 20th century which was marked by three great evils --
fascism, nazism and communism.
At the end of his second visit, the pope said: "The price of
democracy is great. The currency with which this price is paid is
made from precious metals of virtue, common sense, respect for the
fellow man, self-sacrifice and patience."
(hina) lml sb