VATICAN CITY (EWTN NEWS) — Pope Benedict XVI has called on Catholics around the world to pray for the success of his June 4-5 apostolic journey to the country of Croatia.

Speaking in Croatian, the Pope said on June 1: “This Saturday and Sunday I will travel to Zagreb in Croatia to celebrate the Day for Catholic Croatian Families with you.”

“As I await this encounter with joy, I invite you to pray that my trip to that beloved land will produce much spiritual fruit and that Christian families will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world,” he added.

His two-day visit will begin on Saturday, June 4, when he arrives at Zagreb Airport. There he will be received by Croatian President Ivo Josipovic, Cardinal Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, and Archbishop Marin Srakić of Dakovo-Osijek, the president of the Croatian Episcopal Conference.

In the afternoon, the Pope will meet various representatives of civil society at the Croatian National Theatre. This will include politicians, business people and leaders of other religions.

He’ll then join more 50,000 young people in Zagreb’s central square to pray the Rosary. The Pope will present the Blessed Virgin Mary with a gold rosary before presiding over Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. 

On the Sunday, the Pope will preside over the Day of Croatian Families. The event is expected to draw more than 300,000 people to a racetrack venue in the capital city of Zagreb.