Lombardi said that the EU was one of the topics of the Pope's visit to Croatia, noting that Croatia had been spiritually present in Europe for centuries and that it would contribute to the development of the community of European nations with its culture.

"The Holy Father has touched upon the theme of values in the EU and Croatia which the Church believes are not always positive. In that regard he observed certain negativities, especially emphasising secularisation, which tries to banish religion into privacy, and subjectivism towards values where everyone defines values for themselves. That is dangerous because it does not support togetherness but breaks it up," Lombardi said.

Lombardi said that Pope Benedict XVI had been given a splendid welcome and reception in Croatia, both by its people and by its state authorities. He praised the good organisation of the whole event, especially the great engagement of young people, which he said showed that the work with young people in Croatia was good.

"It can be felt that the people accept the values advocated by the Holy Father and that his words fall on fertile ground," Lombardi said.

He said that the Pontiff was "particularly touched" by his meeting on Saturday with young people in Zagreb's main square, Trg Bana Josipa Jelacica, which he said had become a temple. The Pope was touched by silence during the prayer vigil, when 50,000 young people were so quiet that birds could be heard, he added.

Since the Pope came for the first meeting of Croatian Catholic families, the themes he spoke of concerned family values.

"The Holy Father discussed the theme of education and family with the President and the Prime Minister of Croatia, considering the fact that the Croatian government had recently signed an agreement with the Croatian Bishops' Conference for the financial support of Catholic schools and kindergartens, while at the Croatian National Theatre he spoke of the value of conscience and of the family as the place where conscience is fostered," Lombardi said.

When asked why the Pope had not issued messages to other religious and ethnic communities, Lombardi said that the Pope had addressed them at the Croatian National Theatre where he had spoken of the common points of all religions: peace, cooperation and a better world.

Lombardi remembered the visit of Benedict XVI's predecessor, John Paul II, to Croatia in 1994 when he spoke of peace and reconciliation among nations and religious communities.

"But Croatia was at war then, and now Croatia is different, it is not in a conflict and it is not necessary to emphasise that so much," Lombardi said. Besides, Pope Benedict XVI addressed all the people at Sunday's open-air mass in their own languages: Serbian, Slovenian, Macedonian, Hungarian and so on, he added.

When asked about the canonisation of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, Lombardi said that Stepinac was in the process of being declared a saint and that this process could last for years. He added that Benedict XVI would pray at Stepinac's tomb in the Zagreb Cathedral later today.