- by croatiaweek
- October 31, 2025
-
in
News
President Milanović with Pope Leo XIV on Friday (Photo credit: © Vatican Media)
President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, and his wife Sanja Musić Milanović met with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican on Friday, where the Croatian president extended an official invitation for the Holy Father to visit Croatia.
Speaking to the media after the private audience, President Milanović confirmed he had personally invited the Pope and expressed optimism about a possible visit.
“I gave him a formal invitation and he reacted positively. I believe he will come to Croatia,” Milanović said, describing the meeting as pleasant and cordial.
The President added that the conversation with Pope Leo XIV was not political in nature.
“We didn’t discuss politics at all. Migrants are an issue that the Pope deals with and continues to work on. It was a pleasant and open discussion,” he said.
(Photo credit: © Vatican Media)
When asked about the beatification of Cardinal Stepinac, Milanović declined to comment, saying:
“That is an internal matter of the Church. The concept of sainthood is something I do not understand and cannot comment on.”
Alongside his audience with the Pope, President Milanović also held discussions with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State.
During the talks, both sides confirmed the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia. International and regional topics were also discussed, with particular focus on the Western Balkans and the status of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“We talked about the region and the position of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There remains a situation where a majority population elects the representative of another people. This has happened four times now, and unless it is corrected, it will continue. It is legally and normatively wrong, and it’s up to European institutions and the Croatian government to address this,” Milanović said.
A Gift from Croatian Heritage
As a symbolic gesture, President Milanović presented Pope Leo XIV with a copy of the Missal of the Law of the Roman Court (1483), the first printed Croatian book written in angular Glagolitic script, the Office of President said.
“It is a monument perhaps even greater than the Baška tablet,” Milanović said of the historic book, which was published only 28 years after the Gutenberg Bible, the first printed book in Europe.
(Photo credit: © Vatican Media)
Later in the day, President Milanović visited the Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome, where he met with Croatian students from Catholic universities in Rome.
The President’s visit to the Vatican marked another step in Croatia’s strong and ongoing relationship with the Holy See, highlighting cultural, spiritual, and regional connections that continue to shape dialogue between the two states.
