The incident happened just before the start of a memorial service for Ante Pavelic, the leader of the Nazi-styled Ustasha regime in Croatia during the Second World War, when the Home Guard association's members tried to prevent reporters from entering the church.
The police said that around 17:35 hrs Tuesday a journalist called the police to intervene as some people who came to attend the service were pushing and insulting reporters trying to enter the church. When police officers arrived, the situation defused and there was no need for an intervention.
The police are interviewing some of the participants in the scuffle, after which misdemeanor charges will be pressed, a police report said.
The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) have condemned the Zadar incident.
The HND says that the Zadar case is "only the tip of an iceberg of violence, intolerance and pressure the media and reporters are exposed to" in Zadar.
The HND has criticised the local authorities and the police for turning a blind eye to bullies, stating that this will only encourage them.
The journalists' association has called on bodies of authority, civil associations, political parties, trade unions and the Catholic Church to openly condemn the incident and appeal for tolerance and dialogue.
Commenting on the memorial service for Pavelic and another Ustasha official, Jure Francetic, the Office of the Zadar Archdiocese issued a press release today stating that the Church and every Christian considered Mass a spiritual and holy event which must be kept separate from any other event.
The Church never stands behind any group which may manipulate religious services for ideological or political purposes, reads the press release, signed by Rev. Josip Lenkic.
"Following some previous events, the office of the Archdiocese stated on 8 December that this kind of religious service would not be held in Zadar. This was reiterated recently, when a request for a memorial service (for Pavelic and Francetic) was repeated," the release reads.
Church dignitaries have very clearly stated that the church is not the place to display any uniforms, insignia or names; it serves solely for the spiritual needs of people, the release said.
According to the release, quoted by the Croatian Catholic agency IKA, the priest and the parish priest responsible for yesterday's service had failed to consult the archdiocese with regard to the event.