The traditional early-year meeting between the bishop, mgr. Josip Mrzljak, the leaders of the local Caritas agency and large families (five children and more) took place in Varazdin, Northern Croatia. “Every birth, every human being that is brought into the world, is a great joy”, said the prelate, as he recalled the “demographic problem of Croatia”, where the key question, in his opinion, is: why are so many couples scared of life? The main reason, the bishop explained, is the “difficult economic situation, but, if we look at the past, there were fewer opportunities but there were life and love”. So, the bishop of Varazdin thanked and encouraged the parents for having given life. During the meeting, they also spoke of the importance of religious education in nursery schools, making the example of the “Grano” School in the village of Otok Virje, where all parents agreed to have their children schooled in religious education. At the end of the meeting, every family received a parcel of aids from Caritas.