TUDJMAN OFFERS CONGRATULATIONS FOR 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF POPE'S PONTIFICATE

PONTIFICATE ( Editorial: --> 8886 ) ZAGREB, Oct 16 (Hina) - Croatian President Franjo Tudjman on Friday sent a letter to Pope John Paul II, congratulating him on the 20th anniversary of his pontificate. Holy Father, On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the election of Your Holiness as the supreme leader of the Catholic Church and your appointment as the Vicar of Christ on Earth, please accept my most sincere congratulations as well as the congratulations of to you forever faithful Croatian people. The time of your pontificate will remain recorded in history as the time of the downfall of totalitarian regimes and states void of national feeling. In that extraordinary time, you had the courage and determination to advocate the dignity of human beings and the protection of human rights as well as to defend the right of a nation to independence and its own state, which was best seen in the case of the Croatian people. Your recent visit to Croatia has deeply touched the souls of many Croats, bringing them hope and encouragement in life's adverse situations. Your call on the Croatian people to stay faithful to their Christian roots and God's blessing you bestowed upon the Croatian people, will be a permanent motive for this long-suffering nation to heal its wounds and face the future with new hope. The Croatian people is especially grateful for the act of raising God's Servant, Cardinal Stepinac, a Church's martyr and a patriot, to the honour of the Altar, which not only acknowledges his sacrifice but also inspires the Croatian people to persevere on the road to preserve the free Croatian state. History will bear witness to the far-reaching consequences of that decision of the Holy See. Holy Father, your visit has reaffirmed the support which you personally are willing to offer Croatia and its leadership in the further development of democracy and efforts to strengthen peace in this region. Your support for the establishment of a better and more just international order, based on the principles of solidarity and mutual understanding, bears witness to your care for general well- being and better future for all individuals, nations and the whole mankind, President Tudjman said in the letter. (hina) rml 161221 MET oct 98