Culturally, Croatia has belonged to Central Europe for a long time and its people is deeply European, he told reporters on his flight from Rome to Zagreb, according to the Catholic news agency IKA.

By joining Europe, Croatia will find itself where it has always belonged, historically and culturally, the pope said, adding he understood the doubt in Croatia about EU accession.

In these circumstances it is understandable that a small country fears centralist bureaucracy and rationalist culture, the Holy Father said.

According to him, EU accession is a process of give and take and Croatia, with its rich cultural and religious heritage, can enrich Europe.

He objected to reducing the EU to a common market, saying Croatia's task is to contribute to European diversity, which is linked by the Christian tradition.