Croatian faithful celebrate Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday, or the Passion of the Lord, is the first day of Holy Week, in which the Christian faithful celebrate Jesus' solemn entry into Jerusalem, when the people greeted him with palm and olive branches.

Palm Sunday was celebrated in churches throughout the country, the Coadjutor Archbishop of Zagreb Dražen Kutleša led the Eucharistic celebration in the National Shrine of St. Joseph in Karlovac: "Jesus Christ was merciful. He knew how to accept sinners. He knew how to forgive sinners. He was close to sinners, because he understood what it means to be a sinner. And why did he do all that? Because one fundamental thing is that Jesus came to die, but also by his death to save man. Dear brothers and sisters that is the essence of this whole mystery that we are celebrating in Holy Week."

Rijeka Archbishop Mate Uzinić led Holy Mass in the Rijeka Cathedral: "May the sight of the savior’s cross help us to be able to deal with our own crosses. But also to be able to recognize the crosses of our brothers and sisters. And in them to recognize Jesus' cross."

For the Catholic faithful in Croatia, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of preparation for Easter, the biggest holiday of the year in Christianity, as emphasized by this believer from Rijeka: "It is up to us to reflect upon what these big days mean for us, so that we can even more fundamentally prepare for Easter. First and foremost spiritually, and then we will celebrate this joy, hallelujah, with our families, and carry it out into the world."

For the third year in a row Palm Sunday Mass was not celebrated in the Zagreb Cathedral, due to the ongoing renovations following the March 22nd earthquake in 2020. Instead, Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanić led the Mass in the Worship Hall of the Blessed Aloysius Stepinac: "On the one hand man longs to be near God, on the other the cross and Jesus on the cross tells man that God does not abandon you. That is a comforting message."

Source: HRT