Aloysius Stepinac

BELGRADE - The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday handed a protest note to Croatian Ambassador in Belgrade Gordan Markotic in a vehement protest against the annulment of a 1946 conviction of Aloysius Stepinac, which it sees as a rehabilitation of fascism and the Ustasha Independent State of Croatia.

Pope Francis personally stopped the canonization of Croatian Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac after a letter sent to him by Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej.

This has been stated by former Croatian Ambassador to the Vatican Filip Vucak.

On his first visit to the Vatican, Croatia's new centre-right Prime Minister, Tihomir Oreskovic, is expected to lobby for the canonisation of the controversial Croatian cleric, Alojzije Stepinac.

Croatian leaders have decided to postpone the visit of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic to Zagreb, writes Croatian daily Jutarnji List.

The head of the Catholic Church is very interested in resolving the controversial issue of the canonization of Croat WW2-era Catholic cleric Alojzije Stepinac.

Pope Francis received on Saturday a SPC delegation that included Metropolitan Amfilohije, Bishop Irinej and former Ambassador to the Vatican Darko Tanaskovic.

Croatian daily Jutarnji List has published a letter that Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej sent to Roman Catholic Pope Francis in July.

It concerns the intention to declare Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac a saint.

Josip Bozanic has described "the blessed Alojzije Stepinac" as "a reflection of the face of mercy in the Croatian people's modern history."

Bozanic is the Croatian Roman Catholic cardinal, who made this statement as part of his Christmas message published in Zagreb.

Tomislav Nikolic states that Pope Francis told him he did not want canonization of Croatian Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac to cause disagreements betweenChristians.

Nikolic told the Wednesday edition of Belgrade-based daily Blic that during his meeting with Pope Francis last month he presented his view of the role of Stepinac and the Catholic clergy in the Independent State of Croatia.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic was in the Vatican on Friday where he met with the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis.

The Roman Catholic Church "is not rushing to declare Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac a saint," Francis said during his meeting, according to Nikolic.