POPE ABOUT VISIT TO CROATIA

VATICAN, Sept 14 (Hina/IKA) - The Pope, John Paul II, spoke about his pastoral visit to Croatia at his weekly pilgrim Vatican meeting, the Catholic News Agency IKA said today. The Pope thanked the Lord who "made it possible for him to bring support and encouragement to those working for peace in the whole Balkan region". John Paul II thanked President Tudjman, Cardinal Franjo Kuharic and all those who "helped make this visit a success" and to the many believers who "gathered around Peter's successor even when it entailed difficulties and sacrifices. "Croatians were the first Slavic people to encounter Christianity," the Pope said. He said the title of the "strongest shield and bulwark of Christianity," awarded by past Popes to the Croats, "had its true meaning in the history of faith and sanctity of the Croatian people and in the nine century of the Zagreb Church." Speaking on the suffering of the Croatian people and Church under Communism, the Pope recalled the "illustrious person of Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac" and many priests and monks who "shared the suffering of the Croatian people, maintaining the flames of faith and hope in the hearts of their flock." He praised the Church in Croatia for its sincere ecumenical efforts. John Paul II said his visit had been preceded by a period of prayer and spiritual preparation, such as the "million rosaries" initiative. "The visit culminated by a mass at the Hippodrome, with a crowd of believers enthusiastically praying, singing and invoking the Lord's blessing so that they may face the difficulties of the present moment and build a better future," the Pope said. "The enthusiasm of youth was to me a source of comfort and hope. It conveyed to me the readiness of the new generations to accept and realise the message of reconciliation which I brought them on Christ's behalf," the Pope said. Reiterating the need for prayer for peace and the importance of forgiving and asking forgiveness, the Pope called on all the present to join him in prayer for the beloved Church of Zagreb, the inhabitants of Crotia and particularly the inhabitants of Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina, who had a special place in his heart. (hina) mm as sd 141545 MET sep 94