We Must Not Give In To Threats From Abroad
Oct 16, 2004
When the society is facing difficulties, a lot of wisdom and caution is needed to make sure that some hasty statements do not harm the common good, the archbishop warned.
(Novi List, Rijeka, Croatia, September 25, 2002) "We must not give in to threats from abroad," was yesterday's message of the Zagreb archbishop Josip Bozanic in connection with the situation in Croatia after the refusal to extradite General Janko Bobetko and threats with sanctions.
"Those who lead the state have a huge responsibility to use all legal means to clarify the situation in Croatia. In that, they need courage, wisdom and decisiveness," archbishop Bozanic said, asked about his advise for the Croatian authorities in the current situation.
Saying that the whole problem facing Croatia is much wider than the Church itself, the archbishop added that he could give only one answer, calling for "light to come to those who must act".
"When the society is facing difficulties, a lot of wisdom and caution is needed to make sure that some hasty statements do not harm the common good," the archbishop warned, explaining that the Church has a consciousness about the attitude of its believers in such moments. "The Church cannot make a mistake if she follows that attitude regarding moral actions," Bozanic emphasized. Further explaining that attitude, Bozanic said that the Croatian people realizes that "it has been hurt somewhere". Thus, he added, we should value that and we must be open enough to understand that.
"We must stay united in something that is valuable," the Zagreb archbishop appealed. As he said, the faithful and the Church will send their prayers to God for the speedy solution of these problems because we must think about the future of our people and the young who want to lead normal lives.
Archbishop Bozanic talked about the Bobetko case at the presentation of a new document of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, "Called to the light", the action program for the Catholic church in Croatia at the start of the third millennium. The goal of the program is to promote unity in the activities of the Church. Rijeka archbishop Ivan Devcic and the dean of the Catholic Seminary Josip Baloban talked about the content of the document. Other Croat bishops attended the presentation of the document.
We Must Not Give In To Threats From Abroad