"We the bishops will continue to cherish and promote church unity by respecting different views and opinions in discussions. We remain firm in the unity of our service, especially in our respect for the decisions of and in our love for the Holy Father, the Holy See and church institutions, advocating equity and removing anything that might upset the peace among the believers, peoples and states," the HBK said in a statement following a meeting of its Permanent Council on Wednesday.

The Council said that it was not necessary to present all possible reasons that led the Bishop of Porec and Pula, Ivan Milovan, not to sign a key document that concluded years of negotiations, but that it should be said that the Holy Father had appointed his representative to sign that document so that church decisions could be carried out, without any prejudice to the Porec and Pula Diocese. Without such agreements, relations between church institutions would remain unclear, which would not contribute to growth in the evangelical spirit.

The Council said that the dispute was the result of actions by the fascist and the communist regime that persecuted people whom they considered politically unsuitable, abolishing human rights, dispossessing individuals and institutions of their property, including the Benedictines in Dajla.

According to the statement, the Italian Benedictines' property became the property of the Dajla parish in the Porec-Pula Diocese in 1999. After that, the Diocese and the Abbey of Praglia sought the best solution based on canon law to ensure that what was returned was divided equitably. Without wishing to challenge the treaties of Osimo and Rome, the two church entities were trying to find an equitable settlement while at the same looking after their own interests.

After the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life made their contribution to the settlement of the dispute, the Porec-Pula Diocese and the Benedictine Abbey of Praglia reached an agreement to divide the property in half. The agreement was signed by the interested parties in Rome on 17 May 2006. Since the interested parties were unable to effect the division, in 2008 the Holy Father appointed a commission of cardinals to ensure the implementation of the agreement. In November 2010, the commission presented the results of its work to the Holy Father, based on which he made his decision, the statement said.