Vatican, December 16, 1998 (IKA) – On December 15, Pope John Paul II received the Croatian Church and state delegation that had come to the Vatican for formal exchange of the instruments of ratification of the fourth contract between the Republic of Croatia and the Holy See. “The agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia on economic questions has attempted to correct prior injustices caused by the confiscation of Church properties and to assure that the Catholic Church in your country has the necessary means to perform its mission. The Church has always upheld the right of possession and the administration of temporal goods. However, even in this area, the Church does not seek privileges but the opportunity to use means that are available for organizing worship, adequately supporting the clergy and other officials, fulfilling the duties of the apostolate and philanthropy, especially toward the poor. I have noted with satisfaction that this purpose, as stipulated in the Code of Canon Law, is contained in the text of the contract,” said the Holy Father to the Croatian delegation. “The contract on economic questions also represents a type of challenge for the Church and state. The Catholic Church in the Republic of Croatia, according to the directives of the Second Vatican Council, must decide upon a suitable manner for supporting clergy and for providing suitable and honorable support for its officials. In addition, the Catholic Church must organize and foster its activities of a social and charitable nature. The state, for its part, must rectify injustices of the past and recognize the socially valuable work of the Catholic Church, facilitating Church activity that attempts to meet the needs of brothers in misfortune, who must be a separate and common object of solicitude for the state and the Church,” concluded Pope John Paul II.
The president of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Josip Bozanić, thanked the Holy Father for his recent visit to the Republic of Croatia, for the beatification of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, and for his paternal solicitude for the Church among the Croats. The archbishop mentioned all four contracts that the Holy See has made with the Republic of Croatia, saying: “We thank Divine Providence for having made it possible for us at this time to prepare these contracts that are of historical significance for the relations between the Holy See and the Croatian state.” At the end of his greetings, the archbishop wished the Pope blessings for Christmas.
On behalf of the state delegation, Pope John Paul II was addressed by Dr. Jure Radić, who conveyed greetings from President Franjo Tuđman of the Republic of Croatia. Dr. Radić spoke about the Pope#!s recent visit to Zagreb, Split, Marija Bistrica and Solin, pointing out the centuries-long bond between the Croatian nation and the Successor of Peter. Among the Croatian delegation that had an audience with the Pope, from the Church were the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb; Archbishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo-Srijem, Bishop Želimir Puljić of Dubrovnik, and the rector of the Croatian Institute of St. Jerome in Rome, Msgr. Jure Bogdan. The state delegation was led by the minister of renewal and development and the president of the Government Commission for Relations with the Religious Communities, Dr. Jure Radić. It also included the minister of finance, Borislav Škegro; the ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Holy See, Marijan Šunjić; Marko Žaja of the ministry of foreign affairs; and Davor Rajčić, a member of the Government Commission for Relations with the Religious Communities.