Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb
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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb.It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, and the present archbishop is Josip Bozanić.It encompasses the northwestern continental areas of Croatia.
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CROATIA: CONTROVERSY OVER ARCHBISHOP DUE TO BE BLESSED BY POPE
Serbo-Croat/Nat
Controversy surrounds the legacy of a Catholic archbishop due to be blessed by Pope John Paul II during a visit to Croatia later this week.
The blessing of the late cardinal Alojzije Stepinac means he is on the road to sainthood.
While Croatian Catholics think that is exactly what should happen, the Jewish community believe the same man was a war criminal.
Thirty years after the death of Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac, his life and work has been singled out by the Pontiff to honor on his visit to Croatia.
His tomb inside the Zagreb cathedral is a revered sight where many Croats pray.
The Catholic church in Croatia became very strong during his time.
According to the Vatican, there is almost forty thousand pages of documents on Stepinac's holy work in Croatia.
But many Jews and Serbs don't remember him for his good works, but his alleged role in war time crimes.
The Catholic church in Croatia, dismisses these allegations.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbocroat)
All people here consider Stepinac a saint. Only few individuals worked against him and made him bad. But when these attacks were hardest, he would arise in people's hearts as a saint and sufferer.
SUPER CAPTION: Archbishop Jezerinac
An estimated fifty thousand people died in the Jasenovac detention camp set up by
Ante Pavelic during his rule of the Independent State of Croatia.
Stepinac led the church during this time as thousands of Jews and Orthodox Serbs disappeared in places like Jasenovac.
Communist partisans, who won the war in former Yugoslavia, immediately accused Stepinac of collaboration with Pavelic and the forcible baptism of non-Catholics.
Ante Pavelic, who was indicted for organising the camps, is seen in a documentary kissing the hand of Stepinac and talking to him in his office.
The Bosnian Jewish community was almost destroyed during Pavelic regime.
Many Jews feel this act by the Pope, will divide their nation.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbocroat)
It is very counterproductive if he is trying to proclaim him blessed. This is not a Jewish peoples problem, it is a Catholic peoples problem and if they can accept this then they really have a problem. This will not lead to peace and reconciliation in this country.
SUPER CAPTION: Jakob Finci, President of the Jewish Community Bosnia
The Jasenovac camp is deserted these days and a memorial monument built by the Yugoslav government marks the area.
Stepinac was sentenced by a Yugoslav court to 16 years in prison, after the war, but he served only five, and was moved in to home custody where he died in 1960.
Sisters Buonaventura and Salezia of the 'Servants of Little Jesus' Order, nursed Stepinac until he died.
They are eagerly awaiting the Pontiffs visit and will present to him a picture of Stepinac with members of their Order.
Their views on his noble role once again show how divided people in Croatia are on who Stepinac was and his legacy.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbocroat)
He was like a fort for us. He was like a fort against all our enemies.
SUPER CAPTION: Sister Buonaventura
The pope arrives in Croatia on Friday.
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50th Anniversary of the Croatian Catholic Church in Calgary (Sunday Lunch)
50th Anniversary of the Croatian Catholic Church in Calgary (Sunday Lunch). Special guests that joined us and our very own Vl. Domin Vladic were Fr. Dujo Boban (from Vancouver), Mons. Ivan Vuksic (from Oakville), Dr. Tomislav Markic (from Zagreb), Mons. Juraj Jezerinac, and Fr. Mogomir Kikic (from Victoria), among many others!
His Eminence Aloysius Stepinac, Cardinal Archbishop of Zagreb - Glass Tomb
I was blown away by the sheer beauty of Zagreb, Croatia. The wide ranging architecture dates from hundreds of years ago, through the Communist period, to very contemporary styles.
Zagreb Cathedral was absolutely breathtaking. The gothic style Cathedral is actually the tallest building in Croatia. Learning about Zagreb Cathedral and its role through the ages is equivalent to an advanced placement history class.
The architectural details of the Zagreb Cathedral really set it apart from other church buildings. The place is full of ornate details. Upon closer inspection, it's clear that each small detail took many man hours to painstakingly complete.
I have to admit, I was really shocked to see the body of His Eminence Aloysius Stepinac inside a glass coffin. His body is perfectly preserved and he is wearing his full religious regalia.
Sure, there are several bodies around the world on display. The History Channel had a show about Soviet leader Lenin's embalmed corpse, and the dead Cardinals of New York City are in the basement of St. Patrick's Cathedral.
However, it was a bit strange to be able to get so close to Aloysius Cardinal Stepinac's body. I felt euphoric, and a peaceful feeling seemed to overtake the area surrounding me.
Upon leaving the Cathedral, I did a bit of research on Stepinac's life. He was a real defender of the Catholic Church and a crusader against Communist Yugoslavia. It's great to see Stepinac held in such high regard all these years later.
CROATIA: ZAGREB: ARRIVAL OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
Natural Sound
Four years to the day since his last visit, Pope John Paul II has arrived in Croatia to beatify a controversial World War II cardinal and touch off a search for lost moral values.
It was John Paul's second visit to the country, considered by the Vatican a Catholic bastion in the Balkans.
When he first came in 1994, the Balkans war was still raging following the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Speaking in Croatian, John Paul said he fervently hoped the region would never again see a repeat of past tragedies.
Pope John Paul's special Alitalia plane landed at Zagreb airport on Friday, kicking off the latest in a long string of papal visits.
This was the first time in four years the pontiff had visited Croatia, last time he was here the region was devastated by the 1991 war between Croats and the country's Serb minority.
At 78-years-old John Paul descended the steps of the plane without the use of his walking stick.
President Franjo Tudjman, Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic and papal nuncio Giulio Einaudi were among those at the airport to greet him.
He arrived with a call for reconciliation among different ethnic and religious groups and efforts for greater democracy.
Speaking in Croatian the pontiff said he fervently hoped the region would never again see a repeat of past tragedies.
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets as the Pope drove to the cathedral square in Zagreb's medieval city centre.
The Pope then entered the cathedral, knelt and prayed for two minutes
before the glass tomb of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac.
On this trip he will make his 804th beatification -- this one is controversial.
When Pope John Paul beautifies Croatia's wartime cardinal this weekend, he will be honouring one of the Balkans' most controversial figures, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac.
Stepinac is seen by some as a Nazi collaborator because he welcomed the Nazi-puppet state in 1941 as an incarnation of centuries-old Croat longings for an independent state.
But he later denounced the regime's genocidal policies, which killed tens of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croats and became one of the state's harshest critics.
Stepinac's personal notes and recent studies suggest he spoke out against the atrocities and worked to save lives, but many Serbs and Jews still consider him a war criminal.
As well as beatifying Stepinac the pope is likely to send a sober message to his fellow Slavs.
He's expected to address what he sees as the loss of moral values, growing materialism and an increasing spiritual void as the fledgling nation moves toward democracy.
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The european byzantine-rite catholic bishops in the latin-rite cathedral in Zagreb, 11/22/2012
At the beginning of their annual conference (this year held in Zagreb, Croatia), the byzantine-rite catholic bishops of Europe have been welcomed by the archbishop and metropolite of Zagreb, Mons. Josip Cardinal Bozanić. Some parts of the Liturgy in the latin rite have been celebrated in the unique croatian glagolitic tradition with the use of the old slavonic language. The sermon in mostly in Italian, the gospel is sung in the Croatian and Old Slavonic language. Information: the video lacks of several minutes due to hardware problems (the memory card).
Am ersten Abend der jährlichen Konferenz der katholischen Bischöfe Europas des byzantinischen Ritus (dieses Jahr in Zagreb, anläßlich der 400-Jahrfeiern zum Jubiläum der Kirchenunion von Marča) wurde die Heilige Messe in der Zagreber Kathedrale gefeiert. Teile der Messe wurden dabei nach der alten kroatischen glagolitischen Tradition gefeiert (in einigen Teilen des kroatischen Küstenlandes wurde lange Zeit von der Sonderregelung für die Kroaten Gebrauch gemacht, die Messe in der Kirchenslawischen Sprache feiern zu dürfen). Der Zagreber Erzbischof, Kardinal Josip Bozanić, begrüßte die anwesenden Bischöfe in Italienisch und hob die konkret erlebbare Kirchengemeinschaft in verschiedenen Riten, sowie die gemeinsam erlittenen Verfolgung durch die kommunistischen Machthaber in den verschiedenen Heimatländern der anwesenden Bischöfe hervor. Anmerkung: die fehlenden Stellen im Video sind Hardware-bedingt.
CROATIA: OKUCANI: RELIGIOUS CEREMONY
Serbo-Croat/Nat
A different kind of image emerged from Croatia Sunday.
An APTV camera captured pictures of a religious ceremony in Okucani, Western Slovenia that belied its recent violent history. .
Last May the Croats retook Western Slovenia after Krajina Serbs overran the area in 1991... today the Archbishop of Zagreb reconsecrated the site of a Catholic Church destroyed in the fighting. .
Traditionally dressed Croatians gathered for a special mass Sunday in Okucani, Western Slovenia.
The service was on the site of a Serb Orthodox church which was destroyed in 1991 when the Krajina Serbs overran the area.
The service was being conducted by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Franjo Kuharic who led the congregation to the site and blessed it.
A new Catholic church is to be built on the site and a special cornerstone has been made to mark it.
This was the final stop for the Archbishop who has been touring areas liberated by the Croats over the last four months.
Many of those present in the congregation fled the town in 1991 fearing the Serb occupation.
Now that many of those Serbs are now refugees heading for Belgrade, the Croatians are returning.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
At the beginning it was very deserted, it was a sad scene, the ruins. It was difficult. There was nothing to buy, it was lonely. We came back to a destroyed house... devastated.
SUPERCAPTION: Croat woman
A plaque to commemorate where the new church will be built was laid during the ceremony.
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Episcopal Ordination in Croatia Byzantine Rite
On Saturday, July 4.2009, Nikola Nino Kekić, the newly appointed bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci, was ordained in the Greek Catholic cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Križevci. The consecrator was Msgr. Slavomir Miklovš, the apostolic administrator of the Eparchy of Križevci. The co-consecrators were the archbishop and metropolitan of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, and the apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari, who read the bull of appointment at the beginning of the ceremony.
In the homily, Cardinal Bozanić noted that this episcopal ordination conducted according to the Byzantine-Slavic Rite in the Greek Catholic cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Križevci has historical significance. According to the chronicles, all the bishops of Kreževci have been installed outside their episcopal see. He also called attention to the significance of this Byzantine-Slavic ceremony of episcopal ordination, which consists of three parts: the announcement of the appointment, profession of faith and consecration.
Addressing Bishop Kekić, Cardinal Bozanić noted that the motto he has chosen, God is Love, expresses the Christian image of God in a concise and very clear manner. Since God first loved us, Christian love is not a commandment but rather a response to the gift of love. The cardinal urged Bishop Kekić as a good shepherd to assemble his scattered and small flock of Greek Catholic Croats, Rusyns and Ukrainians in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia, to strengthen them in Catholic faith and encourage them, although they are small in number, to be proud of their Church heritage.
Cardinal Bozanić urged the new bishop of Križevci to safeguard and build the community of presbyters, religious and Christ's lay faithful throughout the entire eparchy, Bishop Kekić thanked everyone who has accompanied him thus far on his path of life. He thanked Pope Benedict XVI who appointed him as the thirteenth bishop of Križevci, and the twenty-ninth in the series of bishops of Marča-Križevci, as well as the co-consecrators. On his own behalf as well as on behalf of the priests and faithful of the Eparchy of Križevci, he particularly thanked Msgr. Slavomir Miklovš, who had led the diocese for 26 years, including the war years. Bishop Kekić greeted the assembled clergy with special joy. He urged the faithful to pray fervently for the clergy that they may rise above mediocrity, to be holy bishops and holy priests. He suggested that Croatian families should spend more time together. Let us find time for each other, despite the devastating tempo of life that tramples every person and his dignity, said the bishop.
The participants in the liturgy included the Croatian archbishops and bishops, led by the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Osijek, bishops of neighboring countries and numerous priests of the Eastern and Western Rites. Also attending were representatives of other Christian Churches in Croatia, Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Marinko Juretić on behalf of the Serbian Orthodox Church; the Rev. Kirko Velinski representing the Macedonian Orthodox Church, the Rev. Emil Angelov representing the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and Vicar Branko Berić on behalf of the Evangelical Church. The ordination was attended by many of the faithful, some of whom wore folk costumes from Žumberak, the birthplace of the new bishop.
The liturgical singing was led by the Cyril-Methodius Choir of Zagreb, the Cathedral Choir of Križevci and the Most Holy Virgin Choir of Samobor.
The Diocese of Križevci encompasses the Greek Catholics in the entire territory of Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Greek Catholic Church or the Church of the Eastern Slavic Rite is a Church sui juris employing the Byzantine Rite and the Greek, Old Slavic or vernacular language during worship. It is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and recognizes the Pope as the Supreme Pontiff. The Greek Catholic Church in Croatia was organized by Christians of the Greek-Slavic Rite who left their villages in Dalmatia, Bosnia and Slavonia during the 16th and 17th centuries in order to flee the Turks and resettle in the free parts of the Croatian Military Frontier. The center of Greek Catholic Church life was Marča as the first diocesan see in 1511 after entering into union with Rome. In 1777, the Diocese of Križevci was established for the faithful of the Eastern Rite. The residence and cathedral of the Greek Catholic bishops are located in Križevci. The Diocese of Križevci was initially within Esztergom and subsequently made part of the Zagreb Metropolis when it was established in 1852. Since 1996, the diocesan see has been in Zagreb, where the Greek Catholic seminary built in the second half of the 17th century and the co-cathedral of SS. Cyril and Methodius are also located.
CATHEDRAL ZAGREB C ROATIA
Christmas Eve Mass in Split Cathedral, Croatia
Christmas Eve Mass in St. Dujam Cathedral in City of Split, Croatia
with Archbishop Marin Barišić and Cathedral choir.
Croatian Magazine
CROATIA: POPE JOHN PAUL II VISIT
Natural Sound
Bestowing on him the radiant badge of martyrdom, Pope John Paul II on Saturday honoured Croatia's World War II cardinal, a hero to Roman Catholics, but long a symbol of divisions in the Balkans.
Before a huge crowd spread over several muddy hillsides overlooking Croatia's main shrine to the Virgin Mary, John Paul beatified Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, elevating him to the last step before possible sainthood.
More than 400-thousand people stood solemnly under damp trees at the open-air site, as far as a kilometre (half-mile) from the altar.
Stepinac was hailed as a hero by Catholics for his resistance to communism and refusal to separate the Croatian church from the Vatican.
But his beatification, the last step before possible sainthood, is controversial
because many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathising with the Nazis.
While serving as Zagreb's archbishop in 1941, Stepinac supported Croatia's German-backed puppet government led by dictator Ante Pavelic.
By 1942, however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies, which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents.
And there certainly didn't seem to be any bad feeling towards the beatification from those present on Saturday.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
I proclaim Alojzije Stepinac, servant of God, a saint.
SUPER CAPTION: Pope John Paul II
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
I think it's all right. Only bad people, the unfaithful, think it's not. But I personally think it's all right.
SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop, woman
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
Today I am proud to be a Croat and a Catholic.
SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop, woman
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Croatian and Serbian Commission convened by pope does not reach agreement on Stepinac
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July 20, 2017. There is no evidence that he collaborated with the philofascist regime, stresses Bernard Ardura.
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Pope champions marriage, family on Croatian visit
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called on Catholics to be courageous in defence of the traditional family as he celebrated mass before hundreds of thousands of faithful at a Zagreb hippodrome.Duration: 01:16
Eric Clarks Travel Videos - Nin Croatia - Smallest Cathedral in the world. Amazing little church!
Eric Clarks Travel Videos - Nin Croatia - Smallest Cathedral in the world. Amazing little church!!!
From
The Church of the Holy Cross called „the smallest cathedral in the world“ is the most valuable preserved monument of early Croatian religious architecture and one of Nin's symbols. By its position and beauty it dominates the area where it stands. It was built in the 9th century, in the Early Christian period. It is the only religious object in Nin which has remained untouched since its construction to date. It is 7.80 m long, 7.60 m wide, and 8.20 metres in height (inside measures) and the walls are 57cms thick. It was built on the remains of ancient houses which are visible even today. During the reign of Croatian Kings it served as a Court chapel for the nearby Duke's Court. A number of medieval graves were discovered around the church.
This small church, thanks to the position of its windows and the angle of the fall of light is a kind of calendar, and according to the sun 's rays, the exact date of the equinox and solstice can be determined, which on the first day of summer is the start of an interesting event called „The Festival of Sun and Light“.
Spellbound by its beauty, the famous English architect Thomas Jackson, called it „the smallest cathedral in the world“.
From Wikipedia
Church of the Holy Cross (Croatian: Crkva svetog Križa) is a Croatian Pre-Romanesque Catholic church originating from the 9th century in Nin.[1]
According to a theory from an art historian Mladen Pejaković,[2] the design has an intentionally unbalanced elliptical form designated to follow the position of the Sun, retaining the functionality of a calendar and sundial.[2] In its beginning, in the time of the Croatian principality, it was used as a royal chapel of the duke's courtyard nearby.[2]
The church is that of a central type, it features the Croatian interlace (or simply troplet) and a carved name of the Croatian župan Godečaj.[2][3]
The church is known under the moniker of the smallest cathedral in the world,[1][4][5] but it does not actually contain the seat of a bishop of Nin today.
Spanish, Croatian bishops visit, prayers for Pope
1. Various exterior shots of hospital where people gather in prayer
2. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) Fernando Sebastian, Archbishop of Pamplona:
I take this opportunity to visit the hospital, to pray for the pope''s health, to give him a message of love, of communion, of prayer and of hope.
3. Prayers outside hospital
4. Wide shot of briefing room inside Gemelli hospital
5. SOUNDBITE: (Croatian) Josip Mrzlja, Croatian priest:
We salute you all in the name of the Croatian bishop. In the name of the Croatian bishop, we came today to this hospital to express our support and our prayers for the Pope who we are all really indebted to in Croatia.
6. Pan of briefing room
7. Exterior of hospital
STORYLINE:
Religious figures from around the world on Sunday visited the hospital where Pope John Paul II was being treated, to give him their best wishes.
Among those visiting the hospital were Fernando Sebastian, Archbishop of Pamplona in Spain, and Croatian priest Josip Mrzlja and his colleague, Croatian Bishop Vejekoslav Huzgak.
Mrzlja said he was happy the pope''s health had apparently stabilised, and said Croatia was praying for him after all the good work he had done for the country.
The Catholic Church played a major role as an agent of resistance to Communism during the Cold War in East Central Europe.
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RUSHES Croatian church leaders at hospital comment on pope
SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot of briefing room inside Gemelli hospital
2. SOUNDBITE: (Croatian with Italian translation) Josip Mrzlja, Croatian priest (translated into Italian by Croatian Bishop Vejekoslav Huzgak)
We salute you all in the name of the Croatian bishop. In the name of the Croatian bishop, we came today to this hospital to express our support and our prayers for the Pope who we are all really indebted to in Croatia. We came to visit the Croatian church of San Geronimo, this is why a few of us are here today. We were happy to hear that the Pope''s health is stable and we believe he will be able to handle these difficulties. For that, the Croatian church is praying.
3. Pan of briefing room
4. Various exteriors of hospital
5. Various of Josip Mrzlja and Vejekoslav Huzgak leaving
STORYLINE:
Pope John Paul II remained in his hospital room on Sunday, but delighted well wishers outside when he appeared at the window of his room and waved to them and made the sign of the cross.
Among those visiting the hospital were Croatian priest Josip Mrzlja and his colleague, Croatian Bishop Vejekoslav Huzgak.
They were among many Catholic church officials visiting the hospital to offer their best wishes to the pope
Mrzlja said he was happy the pope''s health had apparently stabilised, and said Croatia was praying for him after all the good work he had done for the country.
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Croatian catholic church in Kijevo (Croatia) destroyed by Serbs.
ENG:
After Croatian Army liberated occupied territories in Croatia in august 1995 during Operation Storm, a croatian TV camera films for the first time the ruins of the croatian catholic church of St Michael in the newly liberated town of Kijevo. The church has been destroyed in 1991 by a regiment of the yugoslav army commanded by Ratko Mladic and serbian paramilitary forces. The region of Kijevo has been under serbian occupation from 1991 until august 1995.
FR:
Après la reconquête par l'Armée Croate des territoires occupés par les forces serbes en Croatie, lors de l'Opération Tempête en août 1995, les caméras de la télévision croate filment les ruines de l'église catholique croate de St Michel dans la ville de Kijevo, détruite en 1991 par un détachement de l'armée yougoslave commandée par Ratko Mladic et des paramilitaires serbes. Les tombes a proximité ont été également vandalisées. La région de Kijevo est demeurée sous occupation serbe entre 1991 et août 1995.
HR:
Ostaci hrvatske katoličke crkve Sv.Mihovila u Kijevu snimani tijekom Oluje 1995 godine. Crkva su razorili četnici i JNA pod komandom Ratka Mladića 1991 godine.
DAY 50 - ZAGREB, CROATIA!! - Lively markets, beautiful cathedrals, and zany museums
Come join me on a full day at Croatia's beautiful capital city, Zagreb!! lively markets, beautiful cathedrals and zany museums!
CROATIA: POPE JOHN PAULL II VISIT UPDATE
Serbo-Croat/Nat
Pope John Paul II on Saturday honoured Croatia's World War II cardinal, a hero to Roman Catholics, but long a symbol of divisions in the Balkans.
The beatification of Alojzije Stepinac was a controversial move because many Serbs and Jews accuse him of being a Nazi sympathiser.
But that didn't stop supporters of the Pope gathering through the night for Saturday's event - nearly half-a-million people gathered for the mass.
The trip is John Paul's second visit to the country, considered by the Vatican a Catholic bastion in the Balkans.
Thousands of Croats flocked to the Marian shrine in Marija Bistrica through the night to secure their place for Saturday's mass.
They were in good time for the arrival of Pope John Paul II, who was later to beatify Croatia's controversial World War II Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac.
Croatia's leading shrine to Mary, the mother of Jesus, is located 25 kilometres (16 miles) northeast of the capital Zagreb.
The wet weather conditions did not seem to dampen the spirits of the Pontiff's fans.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
Of course, I'm going to wait for him. I love the Pope. And I'm looking forward to seeing the beatification of Cardinal Stepinac.
SUPER CAPTION: Vox Pop
Nor was such a lucrative opportunity missed by locals either - souvenir sellers were on hand to offer rather tacky mementos of the occasion.
By the time Pope John Paul II arrived on Saturday morning, a crowd of nearly a half-million people was assembled to greet him.
Travelling in his trademark popemobile, the Pope appeared in good form and delighted by the pilgrims' joyful greeting.
More than 400-thousand people were at the open-air site.
And doubtless many more watched live T-V coverage of the beatification of Stepinac.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
I proclaim Alojzije Stepinac, servant of God, a saint.
SUPER CAPTION: Pope John Paul II
Overlooking Croatia's main shrine to the Virgin Mary, John Paul elevated Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac to the last step before possible sainthood.
Stepinac was hailed as a hero by Catholics for his resistance to communism and refusal to separate the Croatian church from the Vatican.
But his beatification, the last step before possible sainthood, has caused controversy because many Serbs and Jews accuse him of sympathising with the Nazis.
While serving as Zagreb's archbishop in 1941, Stepinac supported Croatia's German-backed fascist puppet government led by dictator Ante Pavelic.
By 1942, however, Stepinac denounced the regime's genocidal policies, which led to the extermination of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents.
Critics had asked the Vatican to postpone the beatification pending further study of the cardinal's actions, although some local Jews defended Stepinac.
John Paul addressed the criticism in his homily, quoting from a 1943 address by the cardinal condemning injustices and the killing of innocents.
Stepinac was tried and jailed for Nazi collaboration after the war.
He died while under house arrest, the basis of the Vatican's finding that he died for his faith.
Despite the controversy surrounding Stepinac's background, there didn't seem to be any bad feeling from those present on Saturday.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
I think it's all right. Only bad people, the unfaithful, think
it's not. But I personally think it's all right.
SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop, woman
The event is considered one of the biggest in the recent history of Croatia, where about 80 per cent of its 4.7 million people are Roman Catholics.
SOUNDBITE: (Serbo-Croat)
Today I am proud to be a Croat and a Catholic.
SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop, woman
Croatia was a part of communist-run Yugoslavia until 1991, when it proclaimed independence.
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Independent State of Croatia: Fear
First of the three parts of a documentary film on the Independent State of Croatia (NDH).
“The encounter of the victim and the executioner was just terrifying. They were both just men, probably never even saw each other before, never did harm to one another. And yet, one was the torturer, and the other sentenced to death. One was everything, the other nothing.” This was how an inmate described the events of the Summer of 1941 in Gospić and at Velebit, in Jadovno Camp Complex.
It was one of the first camps in NDH. The goal of the heads of this fascist puppet state of the Third Reich was to establish a camp complex no one would know about. One of the camp sites was the Island of Pag, more specifically, Slana Cove, a wasteland described by some as “hell in a stone desert”.
The first part of this documentary film on NDH addresses the historical circumstances that brought about the creation of this state, the actions of the Ustashi movement and Ante Pavelić by 1941, the role of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archbishop of Zagreb, Aloysius Stepinac.
The film features historians from Serbia and Croatia: Ljubodrag Dimić, Hrvoje Klasić, Đuro Zatezalo, Josip Jurčević, Veljko Đurić, Dejan Ristić, publicist Slavko Goldštajn, Bishop of Pakrac and Slavonia Dr Jovan Ćulibrk, Franciscan priest from Bosnia Marko Oršolić and the descendants of the victims of Jadovno Camp, Boris Begović and Dušan Bastašić.
Author of the film is Stevan Kostić, editor Goran Mijić, cameraman Aleksandar Agbaba, sound is recorded by Saša Pribaković, expert consultants are Dejan Ristić and Jovan Mirković, journalist collaborators Dragana Ignjić and Milica Jevtić, narrated by Dušan Radulović. The film was produced upon the proposal of the Editor in chief of the RTS News Programme, Nenad Lj. Stefanović.
Label and copyright : RTS
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