The 60th Theological-Pastoral Week organised by the Catholic Faculty of Theology of the University of Zagreb on the theme “The Proclamation of the Gospel in Contemporary Europe” has started in Zagreb this morning. In January 2020, Croatia has taken over the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, and the theme for the Theological-Pastoral Week is inspired by Pope John Paul II’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “The Church in Europe”. The opening ceremony was attended by Cardinal Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, by Archbishop Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, by the Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr. Giorgio Lingua, and by many archbishops, bishops, teachers, academics and theologians, as well as representatives of other denominations. In his opening address, the apostolic nuncio, Mgr. Lingua, recalled the contribution that “the Croatian Bishops wanted to make to the building of a new Europe through dialogue and friendly collaboration” before Zagreb’s accession to the EU. “The Church in Europe and in Croatia – he added – has a very important mission which cannot be abandoned, but should rather be strengthened, by seeking new ways of promoting the values in which we believe that are in our hearts: the dignity of the human person; freedom of religion and conscience; defence of life, marriage; and defence of the common good in various areas: economic, political, social, cultural, educational, academic”. Recalling the “Christian roots of Europe”, the nuncio stressed that “the proclamation of the Gospel in modern Europe can only be the proclamation of the Gospel of forgiveness and mercy”.