The delegation of the Pastoral Care for Croatians in Germany met Pope Leo XIV during the general audience on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican. The meeting took place as part of a thanksgiving pilgrimage marking 80 years of pastoral care for Croatian faithful in Germany. Živa zajednica reported on the event, and its report was carried by the Catholic News Agency.
A pilgrimage marking eight decades of pastoral care
The delegation was led by Archbishop Tomo Vukšić of Vrhbosna. About 30 priests, religious sisters and pastoral workers took part alongside him. Representatives of the different ministries encompassed by the Pastoral Care for Croatians in Germany thus participated in the thanksgiving pilgrimage and meeting with the Pope.
The delegation met briefly with Leo XIV during the general audience in St Peter’s Square. The occasion for its visit was the anniversary of pastoral care for Croatian faithful in Germany: eight decades of this work were marked with a thanksgiving pilgrimage. On that occasion, the Pope was also presented with a gift of gratitude: an artwork depicting Croatian faithful and the image of Our Lady of the Great Vow.
A painting of Croatian faithful and the outline of Frankfurt
The artwork presented as a gift depicts Croatian faithful wearing traditional costumes from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They carry the image of Our Lady of the Great Vow on their shoulders. The outline of Frankfurt, the city where the Pastoral Care for Croatians in Germany is headquartered, can be seen in the background. Alongside its depiction of faithful in traditional dress, the painting thus also shows the city from which the institution whose delegation attended the audience operates.
The painting’s creator is Marta Katavić, a young academically trained artist. The work was painted in oils on canvas and measures 160 × 110 centimetres. It was this painting, showing Croatian faithful carrying the image of Our Lady of the Great Vow, with the outline of Frankfurt in the background, that was presented to Leo XIV as a gift of gratitude on the occasion of the meeting with the delegation of Croatian pastoral care from Germany.
A central institution headquartered in Frankfurt
The Pastoral Care for Croatians in Germany is the central institution that connects all Croatian Catholic missions and communities. Its role also includes fostering connections with the episcopal conferences of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany. The institution is headquartered in Frankfurt, whose outline is included in the artwork presented to the Pope during the thanksgiving pilgrimage marking 80 years of pastoral care for Croatian faithful in Germany.
