16,000 YOUNG PEOPLE ATTEND NATIONAL CATHOLIC YOUTH ASSEMBLY

OSIJEK, April 13 (Hina) - About 16,000 young people from Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro and the diaspora gathered in Osijek on Saturday at a National Assembly of Catholic Youth which was also attended by Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic, all Croatian bishops and about 200 priests. #L# The youth prayed, sang and joined together to warn about their problems and the need for spiritual renewal, under the motto "Keep Us in Your name". The assembly was opened by Djakovo-Srijem Bishop, Marin Srakic, who expressed satisfaction with the meeting being held in Osijek which suffered greatly during the Homeland War. During a mass, a letter to Pope John Paul II was read, signed by Archbishop Bozanic, Bishops Srakic and Ante Ivas. "We are aware that we are standing on the threshold of the millennium, which was marked by the young with their unforgettable gathering during the jubilee celebrations in Rome," the letter read. The meeting ended in a prayer at which Bozanic blessed the youth. (hina) lml