Bearing in mind the twentieth century and the many tensions endured by Croats and Serbs, the President of the Croatian Conference of Bishops expressed the wish for "this meeting to be a contribution to peace and stability in Croatia and Serbia," expressing the belief that "the leaders of our religious communities, as well as the engaged lay faithful, have much to contribute in this respect."

As the special papal legate, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, Archbishop of Zagreb, conducted the central celebration of the three hundredth anniversary of the Shrine of Our Miraculous Lady of Sinj and called for prayer for the Croatian community. He also said: "If we want progress for our nation and homeland, a general consensus on basic questions is needed," emphasizing that the gifts of life and family are burning issues today.

"Let us correct the injustice that cries out to heaven, which was inflicted upon our innocent fellow citizens and contemporaries, so that our country can finally begin to achieve a just and lasting peace!"

Homily for the Mass on Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Veterans' Day, Knin, August 5, 2015

"He was one of the pillars of the Catholic Church in Croatia during the second half of the twentieth century, a priest who greatly indebted the Croatian nation and Church."

His great work in the area of pastoral ministry to the Croatian diaspora has yet to be properly investigated and assessed.

We cannot and do not want to forget that during difficult times, Msgr. Stanković, with knowledge and prudence, steadily and patiently built the pastoral ministry to Croatians in foreign lands and it is largely to his credit that this branch of our homeland Church is today one of the best organized and most productive in the world. We believe that the spiritual fruits of his priestly work are deeply incorporated into the living organism of the Church and nation, and will remain our lasting heritage.

Fr. Ilija Živković, Ph.D., had formerly served as the Minister General of the Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regular, and Director of the Catholic Press Agency—IKA and Croatian Catholic Radio