VATICAN CITY, JULY 4 (ZENIT.org)

    This morning, a good humored John Paul II received Croatian President Stipe Mesic.

    The Holy Father greeted the President in Croatian. Their private meeting lasted some 15 minutes, at the end of which, the President introduced his entourage; photographs were taken and gifts exchanged. Mesic gave the Pope an enamel sculpture of Jesus and a book on Croatia's first king. John Paul II gave the President his pontificate's medals.

    During a brief exchange with reporters, Mesic said he hoped to meet John Paul II again very soon. The Holy Father visited Croatia in 1994 and 1998 to beatify Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, 20th century witness to the faith, first under the Nazi regime and later under the communists. On that occasion, the Pope called for "a new springtime of faith," pointing out to Christians the urgent task to give their homeland a "new face."

    Supported by a Center-Left coalition, which includes many former communists, last year Mesic replaced deceased Franjo Tudjman, who played the key role in Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia. Tudjman was criticized for concentrating power in his own hands. In fact, today the Croatian government presented a draft for constitutional reform, which limits the role and powers of the President. ZE00070406

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