This is Pope Benedict's first visit to the staunchly Catholic nation and he has received a warm welcome. Upon his arrival on Saturday, the Pope gave his backing to Croatia's bid to join the European Union. He said he understood fears of a loss of cultural identity by joining the EU, but said Europe needed reminding of its Christian roots. "From its beginning, your nation has belonged to Europe," he said as he arrived at the airport.
'Real humanism'
As many as 400,000 people from across Croatia and neighbouring countries were thought to have attended Sunday's open-air Mass at Zagreb's hippodrome.
The Pope, whose visit was timed to mark Croatia's Family Day, spoke out against practices such as abortion and called on citizens to back legislation that supports families in "the task of giving birth to children and educating them". At the start of his visit, the Pope met Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, before addressing a gathering of academics, cultural, business and diplomatic leaders.
On Saturday evening, he led a prayer vigil for some 25,000 young Croats in Zagreb's main square.
Sources include
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13659733
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/05/us-pope-croatia-idUSTRE7540QI20110605
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb
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