Missionary Trip to Croatia—Reported by Joseph Meaney, December 2009.

God frequently brings good out of evil. This reflection accompanied me throughout my journey for Human Life International to Croatia, or Hrvatska, as it is known there. This lovely European nation is slightly smaller than the US state of West Virginia and is home to 4.5 million inhabitants. Croatia has seen more than its share of suffering over the centuries, and rapidly declining population must now be added to that list. The average family has only 1.4 children, slightly more than Germany or Russia.^[1] Despite this demographic tragedy, a trend I first learned about on my 2006 trip has continued: for the past 15 years, 20% of Croatian births come from families with three or more children. Many Croats are having either one child or none at all, which is why their average is still 1.4, but the more pro-life and faithful Catholics are quickly enlarging their share of the population.

Pro-Life Doctor’s Specialty is Prenatal Psychology!

My main host on this visit was Dr. Petar Kresimir Hodzic. He directs the Office for the Family of the Croatian Catholic Bishops. I love telling people that I know a doctor whose specialty is prenatal psychology! This new medical discipline is already yielding some profound discoveries. For instance, Dr. Hodzic told me that brainwave measurements for preborn babies are virtually indistinguishable from those of children up to several years old. They eventually change to the adult brainwave pattern before puberty, but I was amazed to learn about a subsequent finding: when adults engage in contemplative prayer, their brainwaves revert to those of a preborn or young child! Christ said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 18:3) It is often observed that youngsters find it much easier to pray and to lead holy lives than adults. Science is now confirming that prayer is the path to becoming “like little children.”

Dr. Hodzic conducts classes to increase mother/child communication during pregnancy and to prepare for less stressful deliveries. One of his objectives for these classes is to save children from abortion. Croatian demographic statistics are quite detailed, and they reveal the heartbreaking fact that the average “profile” for abortion there is a married woman who already has one child and does not want a second. (At least teenage/young adult promiscuity and abortions are much lower in Croatia than in most industrialized nations.) Dr. Hodzic hopes that by teaching mothers throughout his country to have a closer relationship with their preborn children, they will find it impossible in subsequent pregnancies to abort.    

All the former Communist Block countries were forced by their tyrannical governments to legalize abortion in the 1950s. Only Poland managed to repeal the abortion-on-demand law after returning to democratic rule. Slovakia, Lithuania, and Croatia—all heavily Catholic nations—are striving to follow Poland’s lead. In 2009, pro-life legislation was passed in Slovakia, requiring parental consent for abortions on girls under 18 years of age, disclosure of information on the medical risks and alternatives to abortion, and a mandatory waiting period. Lithuania just missed enacting a sweeping abortion ban. Croatia hopes to catch up. They almost amended their constitution in 1995 to defend human life from conception.

A federation of pro-life movements in Croatia was recently created. Their hope is to better coordinate the efforts of good groups and make them more effective. HLI is supporting this excellent initiative. I met with Dr. Jasenka Markeyevic, a professor of medicine and member of the national bio-ethics committee, who heads up the federation. She is an influential person and teaches bio-ethics to medical students. This is great news in terms of inculcating pro-life values in the next generation of doctors there.

I also met with pro-life lawyers who laid the legal groundwork for the pro-life federation. Dr. Hodzic informed me that a pro-life legal challenge to the constitutionality of the 1978 Yugoslav abortion law has yet to be heard by the Constitutional Court, despite the fact that it was presented 15 years ago! If they ruled against the law, it would be a Roe v. Wade in reverse court decision. It seems, however, that the Croatian judges are hoping the issue will simply go away. They do not realize that the pro-lifers are here to stay and are multiplying!

One of the most dynamic professional groups I met in Croatia was the Catholic Nurses Association. They have a large and active membership. Jelica Stipanicev Mustapic leads them, and the international conference for Catholic nurses is set to take place in Zagreb in 2011. HLI will be happy to participate and encourage the pro-life side of their work. The Catholic nurses have offered part of their own office space for the new coordinator of the pro-life federation to use.

The Pro-Life Priest of Croatia

It was my privilege on this missionary journey to meet Fr. Marko Glogovic. He is a Pauline Father, part of a congregation founded in the 13^th century in Hungary. They have a strong Marian and pro-life devotion. In 1382, they were made custodians of the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. I was happy to learn that the Paulines were among the first to promote devotion to the Holy Innocents. From his monastery in Karlovac, Fr. Marko has proved a pro-life prayer dynamo! He has established prayer groups throughout Croatia and distributes small statues of Our Lady with a preborn child on her Immaculate Heart for private devotion in the homes of families.

Father also puts his prayer into action. I visited the first pro-life monument to victims of abortion in a Croatian cemetery, which he partnered with a local mayor to create. It is next to the monument to soldiers killed in the recent war of independence. Another project he launched with donations is a home for mothers experiencing crisis pregnancies.  The home itself was a gift, and it is almost ready to take in its first guests. While I was with him, Fr. Marko’s cell phone seemed to be constantly ringing—and he did pro-life counseling over the phone while I met with him! It is encouraging to see such wonderful priests around the world. 

HLI’s longtime representative in Croatia is Dr. Antun Lisec. Like Fr. Marko, he never stops defending life. I accompanied him on one of his frequent missions of mercy. He brought some donated goods to a family in Slavonsky Brod (on the border with Bosnia) who had decided not to abort after speaking with him. Marijo Zivkovic and his Family Center provided the food/clothing that is donated from abroad to help those in need.

Dr. Lisec took me to stay with his family. He and his wife, Bosa, now have three lovely girls. His daughters help package pro-life materials and assist their father any other way they can. We drove around in Antun’s old blue van that has over 270,000 miles on it from his years of pro-life trips throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Thanks to some generous HLI donors, we are close to raising enough money for a new pro-life van.

Before returning from this trip to Croatia, I recorded two radio interviews for the Catholic radio network based in Zagreb. We discussed many pro-life issues, but euthanasia was one of the most pressing. Amazingly, Croatia recently had a case of a “wrongful life” lawsuit. This is when the person sues seeking payment because the doctor saved his or her life!

Croatia has applied for membership in the European Union (EU), but the anti-life bias emanating from the EU has a powerful influence on candidate countries. Please join me in praying that Croatia will make strong pro-life strides in 2010. We hope to arrange for an in-depth training session with Dr. Brian Clowes this year and to help the new pro-life federation touch many hearts with an intense love for God’s precious gift of life.