CRO DEFENDERS TO PRESENT POPE WITH BRONZE CRUCIFIX

( Editorial: --> 4087 ) ZAGREB, Sept 29 (Hina) - A crucifix which Croatian defenders and the Croatian Ministry of Defence will give as gift to Pope John Paul II during his second visit to Croatia was transferred on Tuesday from a foundry to the Bishops' Palace in Split. The Pope will decide what to do with the crucifix. The maker of the 3.8m high and 650kg heavy crucifix is Defence Ministry employee and former defender Petar Kazija. The bronze crucifix was based on the imprint of a crucifix Kazija made out of olive wood on the Zadar front-line between 1993 and 1994. The olive crucifix was given as gift to Bavaria. "Jesus was killed, but he forgives, and this is what Croatia's defenders would like to show with this crucifix", the general vicar of the military ordinariate in Croatia Josip Santic said accompanying the bronze gift for the Pope. "Nobody deserves the crucifix more than the Pope, who understood and felt with Croatia during the war", he said. (hina) ha jn 291845 MET sep 98