Pope Benedict spoke about “disintegration” of the family and urged couples not to give in to a “secularised mentality” of living together instead of marrying, in a Mass attended by tens of thousands in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, reports theBBC.

The Pope, whose weekend visit to Croatia coincided with  Family Day, has spoken out against practices such as abortion and called on citizens to back legislation that supports families in “the task of giving birth to children and educating them”.

This is the pontiff’s first visit to the staunchly Catholic nation and he has received a warm welcome.

He later visited the tomb of a controversial wartime cardinal, Alojzije Stepinac. The report said history records that, in 1941, while Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac supported Croatia’s Nazi-backed government.

But by the following year, he was making speeches against the regime’s genocidal policies, which led to the deaths of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Gypsies and Croat opponents.

In a trial that Catholics maintain was a farce, he was convicted of collaborating with the Nazis.

He was still under house arrest 14 years later, when he died. Mystery continues to surround his death, with many Croatian Catholics believing he was murdered.

Pope Benedict has also backed Croatia’s bid to join the European Union.

He said he understood fears of a loss of cultural identity by joining the EU, but said Europe needed reminding of its Christian roots.

“From its beginning, your nation has belonged to Europe,” he said as he arrived at the airport.

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Many thousands flock to hear Pope Benedict in Croatia (BBC)

PHOTO CREDIT

Screenshot from the Rome Reports video, Benedict XVI’s travel plans for Croatia, uploaded to YouTube