Zagreb, (IKA) – The Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Jadranka Kosor, met at the Residence of the Archbishop in Zagreb on Monday, June 6, 2011, the day after Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Croatia. The Prime Minister and Cardinal Bozanić spoke about the visit by the Holy Father, agreeing that it had stirred the joy, hope and confidence of the Croatian nation, as reported by the Press Office of the Archdiocese of Zagreb. This was particularly testified to by the young people assembled with the Holy Father at Ban Josip Jelačić Square on Saturday, June 4. The Cardinal and Prime Minister deemed the Pope’s visit a historical event of great importance for strengthening unity in the family, society and nation. It is also an event of exceptional importance for Croatia on its path toward full membership in the European Union.
Cardinal Bozanić thanked the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia for excellent collaboration between the Church and the Croatian Government with its ministers, both before and during the Pope’s visit. He particularly praised the work of the police, military and health services, whose personnel approached the Pope’s visit professionally and with great respect for the person of the Pope and the significance of his visit. The Prime Minister and Cardinal also spoke with gratitude of the great contributions made by numerous volunteers who served as monitors prior to and during the Pope’s visit, as well as the media for their coverage of the visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Croatia.