The Evangelical Pope | Minted from Honesty, Reasonableness, Respect for Others, the Spirit of Sacrifice, and Patience.

Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark socio-economic resolves through justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion; in short, love.

               Democracy comes at a high price.

               The money to pay for it is minted from the noble metal of honesty, reasonableness, respect for others, the spirit of sacrifice, and patience.

               To claim that it can be bought with a different currency is to run the risk of bankruptcy.

Split, Croatia, 4 October 1998 | I have reached the end of my Pastoral Visit to your beautiful country. I thank God for these three days spent in ... I thank the President of the Republic, the Head of the Government, and the civil and military authorities, who have spared no effort to ensure that this Visit would proceed in the best possible way.

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With joy, I recognize that yours is a country which, having recovered freedom and overcome the sad vicissitudes of war, is now reconstructing itself materially and spiritually with keen determination.

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For her part, Croatia must show great patience, wisdom, a willingness to make sacrifices, and generous solidarity to definitively overcome the present post-war phase and attain the noble goals to which she aspires. Much has already been achieved, and we now see the results. The difficulties which remain should discourage no one.

Your nation is endowed with the resources needed to overcome adversity, and you, especially the citizens of Croatia, possess the indispensable talents to meet the challenges of the present moment. With everyone's commitment, it will be possible to carry forward the complex process of making society and its civil institutions more democratic.

After long years of dictatorship and the terrible experiences of violence that the people of this region have undergone, it is now necessary to make every effort to construct a democracy based on the moral values inscribed in the very nature of the human being.

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May God grant Croatia peace, harmony, and a persevering commitment to the common good!

God bless Croatia!

Excerpted from:

Apostolic Journey of His Holiness John Paul II to Croatia (October 2-4, 1998), Speech at Departure Ceremony

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul- ii/en/speeches/1998/october /documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19981004_croazia-departure.html