Vatican: Nikolić with Pope Francis

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić spoke today in the Vatican with Pope Francis, reports the Patria News Agency.

According to the Vatican press service, one of the main topics of discussion was the refugee crisis, specifically the conditions of Iraqi and Syrian refugees and the necessity for the burden of the crisis to be evenly distributed, the statement said.

The Italian agency ANSA reported that the conversation between the Pope and Nikolić lasted 35 minutes, and that Nikolić presented the Pope with a copy of Dušan's Code and an illustrated monograph of monasteries in Kosovo.

Topics of discussion, in addition to the refugee crisis, included Serbia's opposition to Kosovo's admission to UNESCO, as well as the formation of a joint commission of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church to examine historical facts from the World War II period and the role of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac in the Independent State of Croatia, reports Tanjug.