POPE'S SPEECH IN FRONT OF THE ZAGREB CATHEDRAL

( Editorial: --> 5177 ) Zagreb, Oct 2 (Hina) - During his second Pastoral visit to Croatia Pope John Paul II on Friday addressed Croatia's youth and citizens gathered outside the Zagreb Cathedral. Dear people of Zagreb and of all Croatia, dear young people and families: peace be with you! Here, before this majestic Cathedral, a monument of faith and art which preserves the earthly remains of the Servant of God Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, I greet you in the name of the Resurrected Christ, the only Savior of the world, and I embrace you all with great affection! My thoughts go to all the beloved people of this country, to whose noble traditions of civilization I am pleased to pay homage. In a particular way, I address you Christians, who, according to the words of the Apostle Peter, must be "prepared to make a defence to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you" (1 Pet 3:15). I thank Providence which has guided my steps and brought me back once more to Croatia. The words of one of your poets come spontaneously to my lips: "Here all are brothers to me / I feel truly at home . . ." (D. Domjanić, Kaj). I would like to be able to greet personally all the people of this land, at all social levels: from farmers to manual workers, from housewives to professionals, from sailors and fishermen to office workers and people of culture and science; from the youngest to the elderly and the sick. My good wishes of peace and hope go to everyone! With affection I turn particularly to you young people, who have come out in such great numbers to greet me upon my arrival in your country. I am especially pleased that my pilgrimage is starting off under the sign of young people. Dearest friends, in you I greet the future of this region and of the Church in Croatia. Today Christ is knocking at the door of your hearts: open the door to welcome him! He has the right answer to your expectations. With him, under the loving gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary, you will be able to build your future creatively. The citizen, particularly the believer, has precise responsibilities for his own homeland. Your country expects from you a significant contribution in the different areas of social, economic, political and cultural life. Its future will be better to the degree that each one of you makes a commitment to self- improvement. Human life on this earth entails difficulties of various kinds: solutions to these are certainly not to be found by seeking refuge in hedonism, consumerism, drugs or alcohol. I exhort you to face adversities with courage, to look for answers to them in the light of the Gospel. You must rediscover the resources of faith, so that you can draw from them the strength to bear courageous and consistent witness. I have ardently desired to make this second Visit to Croatia in order to continue the pilgrimage of faith, hope and peace begun in September 1994. Now, happily, the war is no more. My hope is that there will never again be war in this noble country. May this land, together with neighbouring regions, becomes an abode of peace: true and lasting peace, which is always built upon justice, respect for others and the coexistence of different peoples and cultures. Croatia, an integral part of Europe, has definitively closed a painful chapter of its history, leaving behind the terrible tragedies of the twentieth century in order to look towards the new millennium with a fervent desire for peace, freedom, solidarity and cooperation among peoples. It is my desire that the fundamental rights of the person will be ever better recognized and embraced in this country, beginning with the right to life from its very first moments until its natural end. The degree of a Nation's civilization is measured by the compassion which it shows its weakest and most needy members, and by its commitment to work for their rehabilitation and their full inclusion into social life. The Church feels called to be part of this process of human promotion. She knows, however, that her first and primary duty is to make her contribution by proclaiming the Gospel and forming consciences. I fervently wish that the people of Croatia will remain faithful to Christ also in the future. This faithfulness holds the secret of true freedom: it is Christ, in fact, who "for freedom . . . has set us free" (Gal 5:1). And this freedom, as one of your poets sings, "is a gift in which God Most High has given us every treasure" (I. Gundulić, Dubravka). Goodbye until tomorrow at the Shrine of Marija Bistrica! I now invoke the blessing of God and the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary upon all of you here present, upon all who have joined us by radio and television, and upon all the people of this country. May the Lord grant you steadfast faith, active harmony and the wisdom to make decisions inspired by the common good. And may there never disappear from your lips the beautiful greeting which I too now address to you: Praise to Jesus and Mary! (Hina) sp 022035 MET oct 98