Zagreb, (IKA) – On April 13, the Friday prior to the celebration of Easter according to the Julian calendar, Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan Jovan Pavlović of Zagreb, Ljubljana and all Italy was a guest on a Croatian Catholic Radio program entitled “The Power of Dialogue.” For the first time, he spoke to the listeners of Croatian Catholic Radio about the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia, how the Serbian Orthodox Church views religious education and the family, and its relationship with the state and the Catholic Church.
“I can express great satisfaction and gratitude that we have overcome the unfortunate war, which was tragic for all of us and from which we are recovering,” said Metropolitan Pavlović in his interview on Croatian Catholic Radio, adding: “I must say that the Government of Croatia, despite all the financial difficulties in our society, has set aside certain financial assistance for the reconstruction of temples and monasteries that are the cultural heritage, assistance to priests in impoverished parishes and for other needs that arise in the Church.” The Metropolitan added: “There is very good cooperation with the government institutions regarding confiscated Church property.” Although some issues are still unresolved, the Metropolitan believes that they can be settled through future cooperation.
The metropolis headed by Metropolitan Jovan has territory in three countries. Today in Croatia there are 250 thousand Serbian Orthodox Christians, 100 thousand in Italy and 40 thousand in Slovenia. “In places where we do not have our own temples, the Catholic Church has come to our assistance, so that worship is conducted in Catholic churches. The cooperation at the ecumenical level is praiseworthy,” said the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia. He also spoke about the great interest regarding religious vocations in the Serbian Orthodox Church, so that all the all the dioceses (eparchies) are full, both in Serbia and Croatia.
Metropolitan Jovan has revived a former Orthodox tradition in Croatia in the area of education: his eparchy has founded an accredited, private secondary school that will implement the program of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports and also offer numerous other contents. Work on the modern school building is nearing completion in the Sveti Duh section of Zagreb. The Metropolitan also invited all who can provide financial support to assist gifted students and those who are impoverished, in order to help them develop their abilities and acquire new knowledge so that they will be able to contribute to our society in the future.
When asked about the importance of educating the young in Christian values, Metropolitan Jovan responded: “We believe that these are the foundations upon which society rests. There would be less negativity if we followed the principles of Christian morality, if the state laws were obeyed and if everyone performed his or her duties responsibly. In this case, the society should be well organized, with much more optimism, mutual understanding and cooperation. In this way, we could enjoy the beauty of this world. It is important for a person to know moderation, because moderation is a virtue in moral behavior.”
With regard to religious instruction in the school, Metropolitan Jovan said that he considers it important in the education of young people for them to become acquainted with Christian doctrine, which is of great significance for general culture, architecture and music: “For all the areas of human life and activity, Christianity is indispensible. That is how it is throughout Europe. If we look, even the smallest places in Europe have their churches. All of Europe has been built upon the foundations of Christian doctrine and Christian morality, something which ensures harmony in interpersonal relationships.” Regarding the particularities of Christian doctrine, Metropolitan Jovan expressed sorrow at the number of addictions, especially among young people, which have spread due to ignorance about how to deal with and solve problems. “Christian doctrine teaches us how to suffer and solve certain problems,” he said. He called for accountability and noted that “many do not know how to behave because they do not respect the basic laws of human life, which are best expressed in Christian doctrine and Christian morality.”
In his interview on Croatian Catholic Radio, Metropolitan Jovan recalled his meeting with the Pope: “I was very happy that I had the opportunity to greet the Holy Father because I knew of him as a skilled theologian, even when I was still a student. Professor Ratzinger was a very big name. On Ban Jelačić Square, the Holy Father conducted a prayer meeting to be applauded by all. Spirituality, discipline and respect for the head of the Catholic Church were apparent. On the other hand, it was also a religious manifestation by the young, which showed that, despite all the criticisms that we make about their behavior, there are also values among them that deserve to be praised.” The Metropolitan agreed with the statement that the young are the hope of the society and added: “It is fortunate and in every case good for people to grow in a religious atmosphere because then they have a positive attitude toward their neighbors.”