From May 17 to 20, 2024, the Honorary President of the World Federation of the Catholic Medical Societies (FIAMC), Dr. José María Simón Castellví, was in Croatia with his wife and a group of doctors from Barcelona

On that occasion, Dr. Simón Castellví met with the president of the Croatian Catholic Medical Association (HKLD), Prof. Dr. Rok Čivljak  and members of the HKLD from Zagreb who participated in the scientific and professional gathering in Split.

HKLD members and guests from Spain participated in the Pentecost mass celebration in the National Shrine of St. Nikola Tavelić in Šibenik, where they were received by the guardian of the Franciscan monastery. Fr. Josip Ivanović , who told the guests the history of the monastery, the biography of the first Croatian saint, Fr. Nikola Tavelić, and introduced them to the many sights of the city of Šibenik, of which the Summer Organ School is particularly important for the Franciscan Monastery.

This school is run by another Šibenik resident, Prof. Pavao Mašić , the organist of the Church of St. Mark in Zagreb, who especially likes to play music on the historic organ of Petar Nakić (from 1762), which is located in the Church of St. Fran.

At the end of their short stay in Šibenik, the HKLD members and their guests headed towards the Cathedral of St. Jakov, a pearl of Croatian medieval architecture that was included in UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage in 2000. In the neighboring bishop’s palace, they were received by the bishop of Sibenik, Msgr. Tomislav Rogić , and the meeting was also attended by Msgr. Ante Ivas , emeritus bishop of Šibenik, and Dr. Željko Perković , president of the HKLD Branch in Šibenik.

On that occasion, Dr. Simón Castellví distributed to the hosts the first copies of the Croatian translation of his book “Profession: to treat, to alleviate, to console” in which the author presents his thoughts on ethics in the medical profession.

Bishop Rogić presented the honorary president of the FIAMC with appropriate gifts – a book on the history of the Sibenik Cathedral and Diocese and a copy of a silver coin depicting the Sibenik Cathedral and the patron of the Sibenik Diocese St. Michael, an ancient Šibenik coin, made in Zlatarna Simon Čivljak in Šibenik.

With the agreement on further activities of Catholic doctors at the national and international level, Prof. Čivljak invited Dr. José María Simón Castellví to visit Zagreb in the near future in order to organize the official presentation of the Croatian edition of his book to a wider readership. The guests from Spain then went by boat to Zlarin, Trogir and Split, where they will end their short stay in Croatia, grateful to their colleagues from HKLD for their hospitality and togetherness.

Rok Čivljak