BOZANIC AND LUBICH CALL FOR UNITY AMONG CHURCH MOVEMENTS

ZAGREB, April 10 (Hina) - The meeting of movements of laymen within the Catholic Church was held in Zagreb Cathedral on Saturday. This is the first meeting of such kind to take place in Zagreb. It was organised by the Focolare Movement, a world-wide spiritual organisation, led by Italian Chiara Lubich, and was alike the event held in Rome on 30 May last year, under auspices of John Paul II. The Zagreb encounter, chaired by Archbishop of Zagreb, Josip Bozanic, drew representatives of a score of movements within the Church who presented their organisations at this occasion. Apart from presentations, prayers and singing were the main items of the programme. Chiara Lubich, who is staying in Croatia from 7 to 19 April in Croatia at an invitation of Cardinal Bozanic, spoke about the unity of the Church movements. The purpose of the Zagreb encounter is to achieve the unity among the movements by the perfect love. This has been one out of more than seventy similar meetings which were already or will be later organised this year. Lubich, born in Italy in 1920, advocated ecumenism between different religions and cultures as well as unity between people, generations and social classes. At the height of World War Two Lubich, then 23-year-old girl, established the Focolare Movement in Italy. Today, this movement is active in 180 countries. The first branch of this movement in Croatia was set up in the sixties with its centre in the northern town of Krizevci. Lubich has won many awards, prizes, honorary doctorates and she is the author of many works and publications. Present at the Zagreb event were several Catholic bishops and priests, as well as representatives of the Jewish community, Evangelic and Baptist churches in Croatia. The meeting finished by the joint prayer of Cardinal Bozanic and Chiara Lubich at the grave of the beatified Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. (hina) ms