Day of Mourning declared in Croatia for Pope Francis sparks confusion

The Croatian Government has announced a Day of Mourning for Saturday, 26 April, following the death of Pope Francis.

However, as daily Jutarnji list writes, the decision has stirred confusion and uncertainty throughout the country.

What’s caught the public’s attention most is the unusual nature of the declaration — the Day of Mourning is set to last from 7 am to 7 pm only.

Many are left wondering how mourning can have “working hours”, and what exactly is prohibited during this period.

What the Decision Says

The Government’s official announcement includes three key parts:

1. National flags must be flown at half-mast.

2. Entertainment events are banned during the 7 am to 7 pm window.

3. TV and radio stations are required to adjust their programmes to reflect the Day of Mourning.

What this means in practice is that concerts and night-time events can go ahead as planned — as long as they start after 7 pm.

Nightclubs across Zagreb and other cities are also expected to operate as usual once the mourning window ends.

While entertainment events seem clearly defined, the situation is far less clear when it comes to sports.

Local sports associations are unsure whether matches and tournaments fall under the ban on “entertainment events”.

The lack of clarity has led many to seek guidance from national federations, who have in turn reached out to the Croatian Olympic Committee. But so far, no official interpretation has been given by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.

The potential cancellation of sports events, especially youth competitions, is causing concern. Organisers point out that sporting events typically don’t involve music or performances, so they don’t see them as “entertainment”.

“Sport is not entertainment in the classic sense. It’s structured, competitive, and educational — especially for children,” said Dario Franjić, General Secretary of the Zagreb School Sports Association. “We believe games should go ahead.”

The Croatian Basketball Federation says games will likely proceed as normal, but in a subdued tone: no music, and a minute’s silence observed.

Similar stances have been reported from football and handball federations.

The last time Croatia declared a Day of Mourning was in December 2024, after the tragic attack at Prečko Primary School in Zagreb. On that occasion, all sports competitions were cancelled, but the mourning lasted the entire day — not just until 7 pm.