Dubrovnik, (IKA) – On Thursday, May 17, the Bishop of Dubrovnik, Mate Uzinić, received the President of the Republic of Croatia, Ivo Josipović, at the Diocesan Ordinariate, which had formerly been the Convent of St. Clare. At the beginning of their discussion, Bishop Uzinić thanked the President for including a visit to the Diocese and Bishop of Dubrovnik on his agenda during his visit to Dubrovnik.
In a pleasant conversation, Bishop Uzinić and President Josipović touched on a range of questions and topics from daily sociopolitical life and discussed the contribution, roles and tasks of the Catholic Church in our region, particularly regarding ecumenical dialogue and the contribution by the Catholic Church to peace and reconciliation, as reported by the Media Office of the Diocese of Dubrovnik.
Bishop Uzinić and President Josipović agreed on the necessity for ongoing commitment at all levels of public and Church life with regard to overcoming the divisions in Croatian society and building new foundations for a better future for the Croatian people and Croatian society as a whole.
Bishop Uzinić gave President Josipović a golden medallion of St. Blaise, the patron saint of the City and Diocese of Dubrovnik; a CD of a performance of a 16th century composition, Dubrovnik Legend—On the Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven; and a 12th century missal written in Benevantan script from the Dubrovnik Cathedral.
Accompanying President Josipović were Saša Perković, Advisor to the President on National Security; Prof. Ankica Marinović, Ph.D., Advisor to the President on Science, Higher Education and Religious Communities; Romana Valhutin, M.S., Envoy of the President for Southeast Europe; Danica Juričić Spasović, Head of the Office of the Cabinet of the President; and Petra Kuga, Advisor in the Office of the President. The meeting was also attended by the Vicar General of Diocese of Dubrovnik, Msgr. Petar Palić, Ph.D.