POPE SALUTES PARTICIPANTS IN SYMPOSIUM ON BARTOL KASIC

ROME, Dec 15 (Hina) - During Wednesday's general audience, Pope John Paul II made a special salute to the participants in a symposium on Bartol Kasic, the founder of Croatian philology and the author of the first Croatian grammar.#L# "I warmly greet the participants in the international conference on the father of Croatian linguistics, Jesuit Bartol Kasic, and the staff at the 'Miroslav Krleza' Lexicography Institute in Zagreb," the Holy Father said and blessed the participants in the symposium. The symposium, which was held at the Papal Gregorian University in Rome, marked the end of the year dedicated to Kasic. Rome had a teaching establishment for the Croatian language 400 years ago, and its head was Kasic, who had also written a Croatian- Italian dictionary. At the symposium, Tihomil Mastrovic spoke about Kasic and Croatian culture, Vladimir Horvat spoke about Kasic as the founder of Croatian philology and the author of the first Croatian grammar, which was published in Rome in 1604, while Petar Basic commented on Kasic's translation of the Bible. The Kasic symposium was organised by the Croatian Embassy to the Holy See, and was held under the auspices of the Papal Council for Culture. (hina) ha mm