Franjo Kuharić (15 April 1919 – 11 March 2002) was a Croatian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Zagreb from 1970 until his resignation in 1997.

[1] Made a cardinal in 1983, he was known as the "Rock of Croatia"[2] because of his defense of human rights and urgings of peace and forgiveness during the independence conflict and the Bosnian War.

The decisive moment in his episcopate came in 1970 – ending the interim administration – after Pope Paul VI named Kuharić as the newest Archbishop of Zagreb.

The next decisive moment came in 1983 after Pope John Paul II elevated him into the cardinalate as the Cardinal-Priest of San Girolamo dei Croati.

[4] Kuharić had been ill for some time before he died at 4:20am on 11 March 2002 in Zagreb in the archdiocesan palace due to cardiac arrest (according to the apostolic nuncio Giulio Einaudi);[2] his funeral was celebrated on 14 March and remains were interred in the metropolitan cathedral and rests close to the tombs of his two immediate predecessors.

[4] John Paul II – in a telegram of condolence – said that "he gave consistent witness of Christ" through his actions and set about "infusing confidence and courage in the faithful" during times of struggle.

[2] President Stjepan Mesić – in a letter to the Zagreb archdiocese – said that "he preached peace" as a central message of his episcopal life.