Zagreb, (IKA) – Mayor Milan Bandić of Zagreb and his closest associates met with the Secretary of the Holy See for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, at the Dverce Mansion in Zagreb. In the course of the conversation, the distinguished guest praised the excellent cooperation of Croatia and Zagreb with the Holy See and said he was glad to have visited Zagreb, which he described as a cultural and historical city.
Zagreb fosters excellent relations with all the religious communities in Croatia, said Mayor Bandić, who also mentioned that the cornerstone of a Macedonian Orthodox church will be laid on Sunday and a new Catholic church in the Dubrava section of Zagreb will be built soon.
At the meeting, among other things, there was discussion about the preparations for Zagreb’s imminent entry into the European Union. As the mayor said, Zagreb is already at the level of Europe as a multicultural and multiethnic city, and can serve as a model to many European metropolises. At the conclusion of the meeting, the mayor thanked Archbishop Mamberti for everything that the Holy See has done for Croatia and expressed the hope that Pope Benedict XVI will soon visit Zagreb and Croatia. In addition to Archbishop Mamberti, the delegation from the Holy See consisted of the Apostolic Nuncio in the Republic of Croatia, Archbishop Mario Roberto Cassari; the Advisor to the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of the Holy See, Msgr. Henryk Jagodzinsky; the First Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in the Republic of Croatia, Msgr. Mauro Lalli; the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Holy See, Emilio Marin; and the Acting Director General of the Directorate for Europe and North America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, Alexander Heina; according to a statement from the Office of the Mayor.