A man waves a Croatian flag in front of 28-meter (71 foot) tree from a forest in the Gorski Kotar region, Croatia, minutes after the decorations were lit up during a ceremony with Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican (news - web sites), Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic met Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II on Monday, Dec. 16 in a private audience at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
