Franjo Kuharić

Franjo Kuharić (15 April 1919 – 11 March 2002) was a Croatian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1970 until his resignation in 1997. Made a cardinal in 1983, he was known as the "Rock of Croatia" because of his defense of human rights and urgings of peace and forgiveness during the independence conflict and the Bosnian War.

Kuharić was a vocal supporter of the cause for the canonization of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac (who had ordained him as a priest in 1945 as the thirteenth and final child born to his poor parents Ivan Kuharić and Ana Blažić.

In 1934, he began his theological and philosophical education at the archdiocesan classical lyceum in Zagreb, and continued at the college. The cardinal said that the Croatian Episcopal Conference deemed "Medjugorje as a holy place, as a shrine" though said further research was needed to make a full decision regarding Medjugorje's status.

Ecumenism The cardinal was open to dialogue with other faiths and was receptive to meeting with interfaith leaders during his episcopal tenure. He met several times with the Patriarch Pavle from the Serbian Orthodox Church to discuss ongoing relations between the two Churches.