Close to 300,000 faithful from Croatia, neighbouring countries and other European countries gathered at Zagreb's Hippodrome by 9 am on Sunday for the central part of the Holy Father's two-day visit to Croatia under the motto "Together in Christ" -- a Mass he will celebrate on the occasion of the first National Day of Croatian Catholic Families, after which Benedict XVI will celebrate the "Queen of Heaven" prayer.
During the night, the faithful started gathering at the Hippodrome despite the occasional rain for a prayer vigil which began around 3 am, in preparation for the 10 am Eucharist.
The programme began with the Service of the Light in which six families took place and will end with the lighting of a candle of Croatian Catholic families, which will be carried to future meetings of Croatian Catholic families as a reminder of the meeting with the Holy Father, who will bless it after Mass. As a gift, he will receive a smaller replica of the candle.
The faithful also prayed for the family of Pope John Paul II.
At the end of Mass, Benedict will say the "Queen of Heaven" prayer, celebrate the final Mass in Latin and say greetings in the languages of neighbouring peoples.
After Mass, the pope will return to the Apostolic Nunciature. In the afternoon, he will attend an evening prayer and pray at the grave of the blessed Alojzije Stepinac.
Last night, Zagreb's Trg Bana Jelacica square and nearby streets teemed with, according to police estimates, about 25,000 young faithful from Croatia and neighbouring countries who celebrated their meeting with the Holy Father, despite the crowd, hours of waiting and the rain.
As the pope was arriving to the main square, young people were chanting "Pope, we love you," "Here he is" and "Benedict".
One of the highlights of the evening was a five-minute silent prayer.
