VATICAN, Oct 28 (Hina) - The exhibition "Croats - Christianity, Culture, Art" is the crown of the excellent relations between Croatia and the Catholic Church, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said at Thursday's opening of the
exhibition in the Vatican.
VATICAN, Oct 28 (Hina) - The exhibition "Croats - Christianity,
Culture, Art" is the crown of the excellent relations between
Croatia and the Catholic Church, Croatian President Franjo Tudjman
said at Thursday's opening of the exhibition in the Vatican. #L#
In his speech, Tudjman gave an overview of the most important events
which through history marked the connection between the Croatian
people and the Catholic Church, from the year 879, when Pope John
VIII recognised the earthly authority over the whole of Croatia to
Prince Branimir, to 1998 and the second visit of Pope John Paul II to
Croatia, on which occasion the Holy Father beatified Cardinal
Alojzije Stepinac.
"This magnificent exhibition, which shows Croatia to the world, is
not only held in its natural ambience - the Vatican, but is also the
crown of the excellent relations and understanding which link
Croatia and the Catholic Church", Tudjman said.
"We are therefore deeply grateful to the Holy Father for giving us
yet another opportunity to, as a small European nation, show the
world our rich cultural heritage and faith, which accompanied all
Croatian battles for the preservation of one's own church, state,
and independence", he said.
According to Tudjman, the exhibition has a special value because at
the threshold of the new millennium, which the world marks with
appropriate ceremonies, it enables "Croatia and Croats to speak
about their history and announce their future".
At the show, Croatia "presents its spiritual, cultural and artistic
contribution to the western Christian world, with its invaluable
historical documents and works of art - the marks of a brilliant
consistency which extends over more than 13 centuries", Tudjman
said.
He expressed a wish for the exhibition to contribute to a "better
understanding and adequate assessment" of the Croatian people.
Addressing those present at the opening ceremony, the State
Secretary of the Holy See, Angelo Sodano, said he had been able,
together with the Holy Father, to experience in recent years the
living Christian faith of the Croatian people and its fidelity to
Peter's successor and the Apostolic See.
Speaking about the earliest documents which bear witness to the
connection between Croatia and Catholic Church heads, Sodano
stressed that the history which followed had been marked by the
special attention the Holy See paid to the Croatian people. He said
the list of papal documents and acts which strongly influenced the
religious, cultural and political life in Croatia would be too long
to mention.
"Croatia is a country at the cross-roads of different cultures and
religions. This special position often has been the cause of
Croatia's hard destiny, but on the other hand, it has given the
country a privileged position by enabling it to acquire a very rich
religious and cultural heritage and become a bridge between
different peoples", Sodano said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony was also the archivist and
librarian at the Holy Church of Rome, Jorge Maria Mejia.
"To open an exhibition with such a title and exhibits means on one
hand to show respect for the Croatian people and the uniqueness it
managed to preserve through history, and on the other, to
congratulate it on its uninterrupted fidelity to our Catholic
religion and the Holy See", Meija said.
Such an exhibition carries a specific message, he said.
"The message is: a nation manages to preserve its identity to the
extent to which it remains true to its origins".
"Let Europe then not forget its origins, of which baptism is also a
part. That is the only way for it to rediscover its identity. That is
exactly one of the messages that we wanted to emphasise at the
solemn opening of this exhibition," Meija said.
(hina) jn rml