Pope Leo XIV received Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of Croatia on December 5.
“We discussed global challenges that require our firm commitment to peace, democratic values, solidarity, and respect for international law,” Prime Minister Plenković said. “We emphasized the urgency of bringing the war in Ukraine to an end and achieving a just peace, and we expressed our support for stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.”
After the papal audience, the prime minister met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Msgr. Mihăiță Blaj, the recently appointed Undersecretary for Relations with States. The parties discussed Church-state relations, regional cooperation in the Balkans, and the war in Ukraine, according to a Vatican statement.
Croatia, a Southeast European nation of 4.2 million (map), is 94% Christian (87% Catholic) and 2% Muslim.