Pope urges protection of human life, family values in Croatia

Published: 2003-11-10

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II met with civil authorities and pilgrims from Croatia, and urged them to protect human life and family values in their predominantly Catholic society. The pope read only a small part of his Croatian-language speech Nov. 8 to some 6,500 Catholics from the East European country. An aide pronounced the rest of the text as the pope sat and listened. The encounter celebrated the pope's trip to Croatia last June. It was the 100th foreign trip of his pontificate, and in a private audience Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan presented the pontiff with a photo album from the visit. Cardinal Josip Bozanic of Zagreb led the pilgrim group as they cheered the pope in the Vatican's audience hall.

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