Benedict has long supported Croatia's EU bid, eager to have another stalwart Catholic country - 89 percent - in the bloc alongside Italy and Poland. But some Croatians have become soured on the EU following their drawn-out accession process and Gotovina's conviction on war crimes.
The Hague tribunal in April sentenced Gotovina to 24 years in prison for his role in a 1995 military offensive intended to drive Serb rebels out of land they had occupied for years along Croatia's southern border with Bosnia.
After his conviction, thousands of Croatian war veterans massed in Zagreb and ripped EU flags and denounced Croatia's pro-Western government, which has made EU membership its mantra.
Gotovina is revered among many Croats for his role in the battle that sealed Croatia's independence from Serb-led Yugoslavia after four years of conflict.
Support for EU membership now officially hovers around 50 percent.
Nino Djula, editor of the liberal-leaning newsweekly Globus, said the anger at the sentence wasn't because Croatians necessarily thought Gotovina would be acquitted, but because they had not expected such a long sentence.
"The feeling of injustice is constant, but the anger was temporary," he said. "I don't think this anger will lead to any serious euroskepticism."
Croatia is likely to be the next nation to join the union, possibly in 2013, with a decision possible this month or next to formally close accession negotiations. Kosor's conservative government is banking on a completion of negotiations before elections expected later this year or early 2012.
Benedict has been keen to see Croatia, which is 89.8 percent Catholic, join the EU and the visit to Zagreb has been seen as a major boost for the government's bid. The Vatican was one of the first countries to recognize Croatia's independence in 1991.
