The president of the Croatian Bishops Conference, Msgr. Marin Srakic, on Wednesday called on the faithful to attend events to be held during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Croatia on June 4-5.
Srakic was speaking at a news conference held in preparation for the pope's visit.
Foreign Minister Gordan Jandrokovic, who chairs the national committee in charge of organising the visit, said the visit was important for all the faithful and Croatian citizens and was proof of the excellent relations between Croatia and the Holy See.
Jandrokovic said the pope was visiting Croatia ahead of the completion of the country's EU entry talks, adding that this was a clear message from the Holy See that it wanted Croatia to join the EU as soon as possible.
At the news conference, a detailed programme of the pope's visit to Croatia was presented. The visit starts in the morning on June 4. On that day, Benedict XVI will meet with many Croatian politicians and other public figures, and attend a prayer vigil with young people in downtown Zagreb.
On June 5, the pope will conduct a service at the Zagreb Hippodrome on the occasion of the National Day of Croatian Catholic Families. He will leave the country in the evening.
