Zagreb - Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković will visit the Vatican next week and told the new apostolic nuncio to Croatia Leopoldo Girelli on Tuesday that it was necessary to protect the rights of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to respect their status as a constituent people ahead of upcoming elections.
Archbishop Girelli was appointed nuncio to Croatia two months ago and presented his credentials to President Zoran Milanović last week.
Jandroković also highlighted the role of the Catholic Church in the religious, cultural and social life of Croats in BiH.
Croats in BiH, who are outnumbered roughly three-to-one by Bosniaks in the Federation entity, say they are often outvoted, a situation that has occurred four times in elections for the Croat member of BiH’s tripartite Presidency when Željko Komšić was elected largely by Bosniak voters. He is not eligible to run in the October elections.
The Croat member of the presidency will be elected on 4 October from among Darijana Filipović of HDZ BiH, Zdenko Lučić representing five opposition Croat parties, and Slaven Kovačević of Komšić’s Democratic Front.
Officials described relations between Croatia and the Holy See as excellent and rooted in long-standing historical ties. Jandroković is due to make a working visit to the Vatican next week, where he will be received by Pope Leo XIV and Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.
Girelli said Croatia was developing very successfully and, as a country with a strong Christian identity, played an important role within the European Union.
He is the seventh nuncio to Croatia since its independence and previously served in the same role in Israel and India.