"Christmas is a time of peace, family union and renewal of the good. It is a holiday that inspires Christian believers and all people of goodwill to do good deeds so that their future days would be filled with more humanity, mutual respect and wellbeing.
"The contribution by Christian believers in many areas of life is of great importance to the progress of Croatian society based on peace, justice and solidarity," the President said in his Christmas message.
Mesic also sent a separate Christmas message to the Archbishop of Zagreb and Chairman of the Croatian Bishops Conference, Cardinal Josip Bozanic, and the Catholic clergy in Croatia and abroad, underlining "constructive and fruitful relations" between the Church and the State.
"I believe that in accordance with its mission the Catholic Church in this country will be of even greater assistance to social development in general, remaining dedicated to the promotion of the values that will help the Republic of Croatia achieve its aspirations to build a society of justice, solidarity and wellbeing for all its citizens," Mesic said, among other things.