Pray for Croatia

Shaped like a boomerang, Croatia sits at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Croatia is known for its 1,200 islands along its coast, only several dozen of which are inhabited. Croatia is one of Europe’s most tourism-dependent economies, with tourism contributing to roughly one-fifth of the nation’s income. Tourism and investment in the nation have increased since Croatia adopted the euro and joined the Schengen Area in 2023. Wealthy vacationers enjoy waterfront restaurants on the Adriatic Sea, as well as the nation’s mountains and rolling farmlands. The nation retains its cultural roots by regularly gathering together for folk dances, Catholic feast days, and village celebrations.

Croatia has one of Europe’s fastest-declining populations due to low birth rates. In many villages and small towns, schools and local businesses are struggling to stay open as the population dwindles. Many young Croatians are leaving the country in search of higher wages and better career opportunities abroad. As a result, Croatia faces labor shortages. There is also ongoing discrimination against minority groups, particularly the Romani and Serbian populations. Wounds from the Croatian War of Independence (a war pitting Croatians against Serbs), have continued to fester. Some Serbs have been targeted with hate speech, and cultural monuments and Serbian Orthodox churches have been vandalized.

About 92 percent of Croats claim Christianity, and the vast majority are Catholic. In fact, Croatia is one of the most Catholic nations in the world. While non-Catholics are free to worship and evangelize, they do not receive the same financial support from the government, and there have been some isolated incidents of vandalism or intolerance. Being Catholic in Croatia has more to do with ethnicity than religion; only about 30 percent attend weekly Mass. Evangelicals have been able to bridge the ethnic divide, with Bosnians, Croats, and Serbs worshiping side by side. The evangelical Church represents only about 0.4 percent of the population, but it is slowly growing, with congregations spreading throughout the nation. The scars of past wars and traumas remain, but the door is open for the message of peace, reconciliation, and hope that only Jesus can bring.