The Polish born Pope also urged voters in Poland to say “yes” to European Union membership in their referendum Saturday and Sunday, as “Europe needs the (Catholic) church”, amid concern the EU will not adopt a constitution with a reference to Christianity.
The Vatican, backed by church leaders across Eastern Europe, has made clear it wants God in the EU constitution at a time of growing materialism.
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Farmotel Stefania is on the way to Slovenian and Croatian Adriatic sea coast.
As the 83-year old Pope arrived in the Croatian coastal town of Dubrovnik Friday, June 6, he reminded the estimated 70,000 Roman Catholic pilgrims lining up the streets not to give up the sharing character represented in Jesus Christ.
NUN
He later “beatified” a Croatian nun who founded a religious order in 1920, devoting her life to helping the poor and the sick. Sister Marija Petkovic founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Mercy, a religious order dedicated to serving the poor, which is active in Croatia and Latin America. The nun, who will be known as Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, died in 1966.
Beatification is the last step before a formal declaration as “saint”, a ceremony criticized by Protestant Christians who believe that everyone accepting Jesus Christ as his or her personal saviour has been made holy in God’s eyes.
If canonized, she will be the first Croatian-born woman saint in the Roman Catholic church, said church observers.
The Pope also praised the many widows in Croatia, as he presided over the release of three white doves, sending symbols of peace fluttering over picturesque Dubrovnik, which was damaged by shelling from Yugoslav forces in 1991 during Croatia’s war of independence.
BURDEN
The war in Croatia claimed some 20,000 lives, most of them men, and women shouldered much of the burden after the war as many families were left without their traditional breadwinners.
More than a decade later, about 1,100 Croatian men are still missing, the Reuters news agency reported.
The Pope’s third visit to Croatia is seen as a landmark in his nearly 25-year-old papacy, his 100th foreign trip.
He began his tour of Croatia on late Thursday outside Rijeka, where he was greeted by Croatian President Stipe Mesic and Prime Minister Ivica Racan.
BOSNIA
The pontiff’s next scheduled trip is to Bosnia Herzegovina, on June 22. He also hopes to travel to Mongolia in August, if his health permits.
Pope John Paul suffers from Parkinson’s disease and other ailments that limit his mobility and affect his speech, but he has appeared more robust in recent months.
The Vatican attributes the pope’s improved stamina to physical therapy and increased rest, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.
