PRAY FOR FRUITFULNESS OF APOSTOLIC TRIP TO CROATIA VATICAN CITY, 1 JUN 2011 (VIS) - During today's general audience celebrated in St. Peter's Square, the Pope greeted the various groups of faithful in their respective languages. Addressing a group of Polish pilgrims, the Holy Father particularly greeted the youth who will meet next Saturday in Lednica. "Give thanks to God for the life and the beatification of John Paul II: father, guide, priest, and friend of the youth. He built the house on the rock who is Christ! He followed the voice of the Gospel. He persevered in prayer and in adoration of the Eucharist. He had a heart that was open to all. He suffered with Christ. He was an extraordinary pilgrim in faith. May you be inspired by the theme for the gathering: 'John Paul II: What Matters is Holiness'!". Benedict XVI also greeted the Croatian pilgrims: "Next Saturday and Sunday", he said, "I will visit Zagreb in Croatia to celebrate with you the National Day of Catholic Croatian Families. I look forward to this meeting with joy and invite you to pray that my visit to that beloved land will produce much spiritual fruit and that Christian families might be the salt of the earth and the light of the world". May 31, 2011. (Romereports.com) Benedict XVI will travel to Croatia on June 4 and 5. During his two-day visit, he will preside over the National Day of Croatian Catholic Families. This is the first trip that Benedict XVI has made to the country as pope, however he visited twice while he was a cardinal. The pope will arrive at the Zagreb airport on the morning of Saturday June 4. He plans to give a speech directed toward the entire nation. He will also be received by the president, Ivo Josipovic, the Cardinal of Zagreb, Josip Bozanic and the president of the Croatian Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Marin Srakić. The President of Croatia is an avid music lover and the pope plans to give him a copy of a song's manuscript from the Vatican Library. Benedict XVI will be staying at the Croatian nunciature, which was built 20 years ago, after the country's independence from Yugoslavia. There he will receive the Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor. In the afternoon, in the Croatian National Theatre, Benedict XVI will meet with representatives from local organizations, politicians, entrepreneurs, diplomats and leaders of other religions. In total, he will meet with around 700 people. It will be the only Ecumenical meeting for the trip. After the meeting, Benedict XVI will meet with 50,000 young people in the central square of Zagreb. He will give away a gold rosary to the Virgin Mary. The meeting will end with a Eucharistic adoration. On Sunday June 5, Benedict XVI will preside over the Day of Croatian Families. It will be at a local racetrack which holds around 300,000 people. In the afternoon, he will visit the famous Cathedral of Zagreb, which has neo-Gothic style, and where the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac is buried. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a communist court. Here, the bishops, priests and seminarians will pray the Vespers together. Of the 4 ½ million inhabitants in Croatia, 89% are Catholic. Agnostics make up 6% and 2% practice Islam. "Ljubav prema Svetome Ocu mora biti u nama divna strast, jer u njemu mi vidimo Krista" (Sveti Josemaria, Ljubiti Crkvu, str 39.) http://www.hr.josemariaescriva.info/clanak/ljubiti-papu-escriva Sveti Ambrozije napisao je nekoliko kratkih rečenica koje zvuče poput klicanja: Gdje je Petar, tamo je Crkva; i gdje je Crkva, tu ne vlada smrt, nego vječni život. Jer tamo gdje su Petar i Crkva, tamo je Krist, a on je spasenje, on je jedini Put. Ljubiti Crkvu, 28 Tvoja najveća ljubav, tvoje veliko iskazivanje počasti, tvoje najdublje poštovanje, tvoja najpodložnija poslušnost, najveća naklonost, trebaju biti također za Namjesnika Kristova na zemlji, za Papu. Mi katolici moramo znati da, nakon Boga i naše Majke, Presvete Djevice, po hijerarhiji ljubavi i autoriteta dolazi Sveti Otac. Kovačnica, 135 Hvala ti, Bože, za ljubav prema papi, što si je usadio u moje srce. Put, 573 Katolički, apostolski, rimski! Drago mi je da si toliko rimski. I da imaš želju hodočastiti u Rim videre Petrum, - "upoznati Petra". Put, 520 Svaki dan sve više moraš rasti u vjernosti prema Crkvi, Papi i Svetoj Stolici... S ljubavlju sve više teološkom! Brazda, 353 Prihvati Papinu riječ, prioni vjerom, jednostavnom, unutarnjom i djelotvornom: budi uza nj! Kovačnica, 133 Neka te svakodnevno razmišljanje o teškom teretu koje pritišće Papu i biskupe, potakne da ih poštuješ, da ih ljubiš istinskom naklonošću, da ih pomažeš svojom molitvom. Kovačnica, 136 Vjernost Rimskom Prvosvećeniku uključuje jasnu i određenu obvezu: poznavati mišljenje Pape izraženo u enciklikama ili u drugim dokumentima i učiniti, koliko je do nas, da svi katolici poslušaju nauk Svetog Oca i prema http://www.hr.josemariaescriva.info/clanak/ljubiti-papu

• published: 01 Jun 2011
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