"I invited the Pope to visit Croatia. I am glad to say that I was told that plans are being prepared for 2011, and that a visit by the Holy Father to Croatia next year is being considered very seriously," Josipovic, who was heading a Croatian state delegation, told reporters after talks with the Roman Catholic pontiff.

"It would be very important for Croatia's international position and relations within the country, because every visit by the Holy Father to any country is a message of peace, coexistence and love," said Josipovic.

Croatia's integration with the European Union, refugee return, and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of the region were the main topics of the 30-minute meeting between the Pope and the Croatian President at the Pope's private library on the second floor of the Apostolic Palace.

Josipovic said that relations between Croatia and the Vatican are free of any problems and "could hardly be better".

The Pope promised that the Vatican would continue strongly supporting Croatia's accession to the EU. As for the return of Croatian Serb refugees, he agreed with Josipovic that the Catholic Church in Croatia was involved in efforts aimed at reconciliation and promotion of values shared by the Croatian people and the Serb minority.

The Pope also supported the policy of reconciliation in the region, on which the Croatian president has been insisting since the beginning of his term.

"Both the Vatican and Croatia want relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina to be defined in line with the principle of equality of the country's three peoples and respect for the rights and freedoms of the individual. Both sides consider the survival of the Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina important, and it is important for Croatia to contribute to that goal," Josipovic told reporters.

Pope Benedict XVI received the Croatian delegation for talks at the Apostolic Palace by St. Peter's Basilica, where he usually receives his guests.

He first held a one-to-one meeting with Josipovic, after which he met members of the Croatian delegation and reporters covering the visit.

President Josipovic presented the Pope with a graphic of Our Lady of Lobor and a CD with the Croatian Mass composed by Boris Papandopulo, receiving from the Pope a gold coin with his image.

The Croatian state delegation discussed relations between Croatia and the Vatican with the Holy See's State Secretary, Tarcisio Bertone, after which President Josipovic laid a wreath at the grave of Pope John Paul II in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica.

Answering questions from reporters about his attitude to faith, Josipovic said that he was an agnostic, but that he did not see that fact as an obstacle to respecting Croatia's Christian roots.

"Regardless of whether we are believers or not, we all have Christian roots and we appreciate and respect that," Josipovic said.

He also said that his relations with the Roman Catholic Church in Croatia had been good since the start of his term.

"I have had excellent cooperation on the part of the Church with regard to my activities, notably those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in Croatia. Agreements with the Vatican are being implemented, there are no outstanding issues and I can hardly imagine our relations being better than they are," Josipovic said.

During his day-long visit to the Vatican, Josipovic was also scheduled to visit the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome.