Zagreb, February 5, 2001 (IKA) — A meeting was held today at the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops among representatives of the religious communities in the Republic of Croatia, according to a statement issued by the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The meeting was attended by Msgr. Ivan Prenđa, archbishop of Zadar and vice president of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops; Msgr. Marin Srakić, bishop of Đakovo and president of the Legal Commission of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops; Vlado Košić, auxiliary bishop of Zagreb and president of the Council of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops for Ecumenicism; Dr. Ivan Ćubelić, secretary of the Legal Commission of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops; Rabbi Kotel Da-Don, chief rabbi of Croatia; Mr. Dean Friedrich, general secretary of the Jewish Community of Zagreb; Mufti Ševko Omerbašić, president of the Islamic Community of the Republic of Croatia; Mr. Branko Lovrec, president of the Association of Baptist Churches in the Republic of Croatia; Mr. Željko Mraz, general secretary of the Association of Baptist Churches in the Republic of Croatia; Mr. Endre Langh, bishop of the Reformed Christian Church; Prof. Rev. Steven D. Kurtz, acting bishop of the Evangelical Church in the Republic of Croatia; and Mr. Andreas Lukša, Evangelical parish priest in Osijek. Representatives of the Serbian Orthodox and Evangelic Churches were invited but did not attend.
“The main topic of the meeting was a change in position toward the proposed draft of the Religious Communities Act. All the participants agree that this proposed act is a good starting point for the regulation of the social and legal status of the religious communities in the Republic of Croatia. It is a positive approach by the Government of the Republic of Croatia to collaborate actively in this matter with the interested parties, i.e. the religious communities themselves. The text of the act has a positive basis, and does not differ much in content from the contract between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia. However, many stipulations of the proposed act are still imprecise and undefined, which leaves room for unnecessary voluntarism. All are agreed that this act should be retitled ‘The Legal Position of the Religious Communities Act.’ In a discussion on practical questions concerning coexistence in this country, it was noted that eventual conflicts should be resolved through direct encounters and mutual dialogue. Therefore, it is not necessary to wait for someone else to initiate meetings among the representatives of the religious communities. At least several regular meetings per year can be organized in advance, thereby promoting greater cooperation, harmony and understanding among the members of the various religious communities and the entire society. At the invitation of Mufti Omerbašić, the next inter-religious meeting will be held at the Islamic Center in Zagreb,” reads the statement issued by the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops following the meeting of the representatives of the religious communities in the Republic of Croatia held today in Zagreb.