VATICAN CITY, DEC. 15, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- John Paul II requested that «liberty and democracy be ensured in all nations of Europe, whether large or small,» when he received the new Croatian ambassador to the Vatican this morning.
«This is the way that leads to a future of stable peace and genuine development, to the benefit not just of Europe,» the Holy Father said in his address during the ceremony of ambassador Franjo Zenko´s presentation of credentials. Zenko, who was born in Zagreb in 1931, is a philosopher who turned to politics after his country became independent in 1992.
«Democracy cannot be imposed on improvised; on the contrary, it calls for education and support,» the Pope stressed. «This requires constant growth of the civil and social conscience, and an uninterrupted participation of all the country´s components in building the common good, always keeping in mind the truth about man and woman, created by God in his image and likeness.»
He added, «Democracy calls for state structures that are at the service of all citizens, not just of some groups, and that stable dialogue must be developed between all the political and social components in a joint search for the common good, respecting each and every one.»
About 76% of Croatia´s 4.2 million people are Catholic. The Holy Father confirmed that «for its part, the Church, remaining in the field of its competence, will not cease to offer her contribution, especially by witnessing to those values that by their nature are subjected to the mutation of social and historical circumstances, as they are deeply rooted in man´s own reality.»
