Zagreb, (IKA) – The President of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Osijek, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Jadranka Kosor, signed a contract today, Monday, May 23, for the purpose of the implementation of the Agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia on Cooperation in Education and Culture. The contract was signed at the Secretariat of the CCB in Zagreb, in the presence of Bishop Ante Ivas of Šibenik, Bishop Antun Škvorčević of Požega; the General Secretary of the CCB, Msgr. Enco Rodinis; and the Minister of Science, Education and Sports, Radovan Fuchs.
Welcoming the Prime Minister, Archbishop Srakić stressed the importance of this act. Namely, fifteen years ago, an agreement was signed between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia in the areas of education and culture. The contract emphasizes the right of the Catholic Church to establish schools at various levels, and also speaks of the concomitant obligations assumed by the Croatian state. The contract on Catholic elementary and secondary schools addresses the questions of student enrollment, the type of instruction provided, the appointment of principals, and approval of internal organization in schools according to the provisions of the laws of the Republic of Croatia and the fundamental principles of Catholic education. The contract also includes a list of the Catholic elementary and secondary schools that are currently operating, said Archbishop Srakić, and thanked everyone who had contributed to the preparation and signing.
Prime Minister Kosor expressed thanks for the warm welcome and opportunity for this very important act to take place amidst preparations for the great and precious encounter with the Holy Father in Croatia.
She pointed out that in Croatia today there are twelve Catholic secondary schools and two elementary schools in operation, and it is certainly necessary to mention the forty-eight Catholic kindergartens. The signing of this contract will further the attempts by the Croatian educational system, under the auspices of which are the Catholic secondary and elementary schools, for children from an early age to learn patriotism and pride in their roots, our history, tradition and culture, which are of exceptional importance, especially now when Croatia will soon become the 28th member of the European Union, said Prime Minister Kosor. She emphasized that with the signing of the contract, the Government shall be obligated, via the ministry responsible for finance, for the salaries and everything that enters into the collective contracts in the financial aspect.
Since the signing of the contract was conducted in the presence of journalists, the experiences of the two elementary schools were presented by the bishops of their respective dioceses, Msgrs. Ivas and Škvorčević.
In this context, Archbishop Srakić added that Catholic schools are not of the closed type. Thus, for example, he pointed out that 90% of the students of the Catholic schools in Kosovo are Muslims.