MESIC FORWARDS CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO ARCHBISHOP BOZANIC, FAITHFUL

ZAGREB, Dec 23 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic on Monday forwarded a Christmas message to Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic, all Catholic believers and other Christians celebrating Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar. #L# Hoping that Christmas will encourage people of good will to work together towards mutual trust, Mesic said, "The memories of war suffering are still fresh. All that we sacrificed for freedom has meaning only of we turn towards the future. We feel that we need a joint effort so that all people of good will could find together a basis to build a future which will guarantee the survival of our homeland and its progress in unity with other countries and peoples. I believe that in our efforts to achieve common welfare we should follow the spiritual and moral values which Jesus Christ introduced into the history of mankind as "the Joyous Message". The fruitful cooperation between the Catholic Church and state institutions can be considered in light of such thoughts as well, with a state delegation having recently visited the Holy See and presented the Holy Father with a Christmas tree on behalf of the Croat people," said Mesic, offering Bozanic and the Catholic clergy and faithful in Croatia his best wishes for Christmas and New Year. (hina) rml