In an interview for Tuesday's on-line edition of The Daily Telegraph, Del Ponte said that runaway Croatian general Ante Gotovina was hiding in a Franciscan monastery in Croatia and enjoying the protection of the Catholic Church. She said that she had informed the Vatican of this, but that the Vatican had refused to cooperate. Commenting on Del Ponte's claims, the head of the HBK public relations office, Anton Suljic, said the leadership of the Catholic Church in Croatia "has no information whatsoever or indications concerning the whereabouts of the runaway general Gotovina".
In the statement carried by the Catholic news agency IKA, Suljic said they were aware that the chief prosecutor could be frustrated for whatever reasons and that some of her allegations could originate from her frustration, but added that it was very unusual to level unfounded blanket accusations in the said manner and through the media against the highest representatives of the Holy See, including Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic bishops in Croatia.
"Finally, the international community, which appointed the chief prosecutor as one of the parties at the Hague tribunal, is called to explain such statements by the chief prosecutor to the Catholic Church and the Republic of Croatia," Suljic said.