ZAGREB, Nov 4 (Hina) - Croatia's delegation, led by Premier Ivica Racan, will travel to the Vatican on 8 November, according to unofficial sources from the government.
ZAGREB, Nov 4 (Hina) - Croatia's delegation, led by Premier Ivica
Racan, will travel to the Vatican on 8 November, according to
unofficial sources from the government. #L#
This will be a return visit of the state delegation, within a
national thanksgiving pilgrimage, the purpose of which is to thank
Pope John Paul II for his third visit to Croatia this June.
The Office of the President on Tuesday confirmed that President
Stjepan Mesic would not participate in this one-day visit.
The state delegation will include Premier Racan, Vice Premier Goran
Granic, who is the head of the government's commission for
relations with religious communities and Defence Minister Zeljka
Antunovic.
The Holy Father will receive them in an audience.
According to the same source, the visit is part of regular practice.
It was previously planned for the summer, but was postponed for
November.
The Croatian Catholic faithful and Church dignitaries will on go on
the pilgrimage to the Vatican from 6 to 9 November. This will be the
first organised pilgrimage of this kind for Croatia's Catholics
since their country gained independence.
Over 6,000 pilgrims, led by the Primate of the Catholic Church in
Croatia, Cardinal Josip Bozanic, and other archbishops and
bishops, are expected to go to the Vatican to express their
gratitude to Pope John Paul II for all he has so far done for the
Croatian people and to congratulate him on the 25th anniversary of
his pontificate.
On 8 November, all pilgrims will attend a Thanksgiving Mass to be
said by Zagreb Archbishop, Cardinal Bozanic, in St Peter's Church
in the Vatican. After that they will be granted an audience with the
pope. Bishops announced this national thanksgiving pilgrimage
after the Holy Father's third pastoral visit to Croatia on 5-9 June
this year.
(hina) ms