The Pope has hailed Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, the late Cardinal
Archbishop of Zagreb in Croatia, as “a great pastor and a great
Christian.”
The Pope made his comments during an in-flight interview
with journalists as he traveled to Croatia for a two-day visit.
Cardinal Stepinac was the leader of the Catholic Church in Croatia
during the Second World War when the country briefly regained
independence under a Nazi puppet regime, the Ustase.
After the war, the Nazis were replaced with the communists.
An
outspoken critic of the regime, Cardinal Stepinac was imprisoned
following a show-trial in 1946 and later died under house arrest in
1952.
Pope Benedict described both regimes – Nazi and communist – as “anti-humanist.”
The Ustase regime, he said, “seemed to fulfill the dream of autonomy
and independence, but in reality it was an autonomy that was a lie
because it was exploited by Hitler for his own purposes.”
The Pope said that in the midst of this turmoil, Cardinal Stepinac
was a courageous defender of those oppressed by the Ustase, including
Serbs, Jews and gypsies.
Cardinal Stepinac stood up against “the dictatorship of communism,
where he again fought for the faith, for the presence of God in the
world, the true humanity that is dependent on the presence of God,” the
Pope concluded, calling the Croatian cardinal “a great example not only
for the Croats, but all of us.”
Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac was declared a martyr and beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998.
When Pope Benedict arrived at the Zagreb Airport, he urged all Croats to pray to Blessed Aloysius Stepinac.
“In view of the challenges confronting the Church and civil society
today, I invoke upon this land and all its inhabitants the intercession
and assistance of Blessed Aloysius Stepinac, the beloved and venerable
Shepherd of your people.”
“May he accompany the young generations as they strive to live by
that charity which prompted the Lord Jesus Christ to give his life for
all people.”