Participating in the Vespers in the Zagreb Cathedral together with bishops, priests, nuns, seminarians, theology students and religious candidates on Sunday afternoon before his departure from Zagreb to Rome, the pope said a prayer at the grave of Blessed Alojzije Stepinac and called on those present to bring to memory Blessed Stepinac whom he described as "intrepid Shepherd" who sat an example of the apostolic fervour and Christian grit.

The pontiff called on the faithful to look at Stepinac's image in accordance with the image of Christ and his sacrifice.

Thanks to that Christian conscience Stepinac succeeded in resisting every form of totalitarianism, becoming a protector of the Jews, Orthodox believers and all persecuted people during the Nazi and Fascist dictatorship and being an advocate of his believers, notably of many persecuted and killed priests in the Communist era.

"He was a protector of God on the earth as he persistently protected the truth and the man's right to live in communion with God," the Holy Father said.

His martyrdom is the culmination of the violence directed against the Church during the terrible period of the Communist persecution.

Croatian Catholics, notably the clergy were exposed to torture and systematic violence aimed at destroying the Catholic Church. This particularly hard time marked one generation of bishops, priests and religious people, ready to die rather than betray Christ, the Church and Pope.

People saw priests never losing faith, hope love and in this way they remained united. This unity explains what is inexplicable on the human plane; this so rigid regime could not break the Church, he said.

The Church in Croatia is today called to nourish unity in order to deal with challenges in a changed social environment, finding new ways of evangelisation, primarily in services for young generations, the pontiff said.

The Holy Father called on bishops and clergy to be permanently committed to reconciliation among the divided Christians and to the reconciliation between Christians and Muslims.

At the beginning of the liturgy of vespers with bishops, priests, nuns, seminarians and theology students and religious candidates in the cathedral, Zagreb Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanic welcomed the Holy Father on behalf of the religious community in Croatia.

Alojzije Stepinac was Archbishop of Zagreb from 1937 to 1960. In 1998 he was declared a martyr and beatified by Pope John Paul II.