Pope Holds Open Air Mass In Zagreb

With tens of thousands of Croatians packing into the Hippodrome in Zagreb, the image is reminiscent of a rock concert.

But this is the man they have all turned up to see – Pope Benedict XVI on his first visit to the country.

Croatia, whose population of 4.4 million is 90% Catholic celebrates it’s „Family Day“ on Sunday, and the Pope used the opportunity to deliver a sermon packed with references to family values.

During his address he hailed the „irreplaceable value of the family founded upon matrimony“, while rallying against practices such as abortion, cohabitation, and artificial birth control.

The 84 year old’s sermon is the latest in a series of salvos against what the church sees as a growing trend of anti-Catholicism in Europe.

Benedict’s two day trip to Zagreb is intended to encourage and support the local church, 20 years after independence and 16 years after the end of the Balkan wars.

Foto: NTD