Joaquín Navarro-Valls, director of the Vatican press office, said today that the «Holy Father John Paul II will make an apostolic trip to Croatia from June 5 to 9, and will visit the cities of Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Osijek and Djakovo, and Zadar.»
During his trip the Pope is expected to beatify religious Mary of Jesus Crucified Petkovic (1892-1966), founder of the Congregation of Daughters of Mercy.
Croatia, independent since 1991, has close to 5 million inhabitants, about 80% of them Catholic.
The Pope visited Croatia in 1994 and 1998.