CROATIAN CARITAS HEAD SPEAKS AT CELEBRATION OF WORLD DAY OF PEACE

VIENNA, Jan 29 (Hina) - The celebration of the 29th World Day of Peace was held in the U.N. Headquarters in Vienna last Friday. The celebration was held under the auspices of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See in international organisations. The main speaker at the conference was the head of the Croatian Archdiocese Caritas, Jelena Brajsa. The Austrian President Thomas Klestil, high Austrian state and parliamentary representatives, U.N. officials and members of the diplomatic corps and international organisations in Vienna also took part in the celebration, a statement from the Croatian Permanent Mission in the United Nations and international organisations in Vienna said. #L# Speaking under the slogan 'Let us give peace to our children' from Pope's address on the World Day of Peace, Brajsa stressed tasks and responsibilities of the family, school, society and each individual in the process of bringing up children. Those tasks were love, peace and tolerance and not hatred and intolerance, she said. The war in former Yugoslavia was the result of long-standing undemocratic social relations and the development of the idea of hegemony of one nation over other nations. Brajsa gave a touching description of child suffering in the war and efforts the Caritas was taking in the care for those children and help for all who are in need of help. The Caritas was assisted by numerous friends from abroad, including Austria, she said. Brajsa further stressed that the terrible consequences of war should serve to teach that problems should be solved in other, peaceful ways, the statement said. (hina) rm jn 291609 MET jan 96