Belgrade (IKA) – The vice president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences and the president of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić of Zagreb, was in Belgrade from June 11 to 13, where he presided over the 32nd Annual Meeting of the General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences.
Upon arriving in Belgrade on June 11, Cardinal Bozanić met with Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchate. Cardinal Bozanić and Patriarch Pavle issued a joint statement in which they expressed their satisfaction with their talks. Patriarch Pavle expressed the hope that their encounter would contribute to furthering relations between the two Churches. Both Cardinal Bozanić and Patriarch Pavle agreed that all Christians in this time of globalization are called to defend fundamental human and Christian values through cooperation and that the goal of the mission of the Churches in the world and today, as in previous times, can be expressed by the words of Christ: “Just so, your light must shine before ohters, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” They also noted the significance of the working meetings between the Serbian patriarch and Zagreb archbishop (1999 and 2000), the first historical meeting of the Holy Archhierarchical Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church with all the members of the Serbian and Montenegrin Conference of Catholic Bishops last year, as well as the founding of joint commissions, whose work should contribute genuine results in the coming period.

Cardinal Bozanić also met with the Council of the Serbian and Montenegrin Conference of Catholic Bishops for Ecumenicism and Interreligious Dialogue. Archbishop Stanislav Hočevar of Belgrade pointed out on this occasion that the Serbian and Montenegrin Conference of Catholic Bishops includes the faithful of various cultures and rites and is also located in a territory in which ecumenicism is an important part of pastoral activity. As a particular achievement in ecumenical attempts, he mentioned last year’s first and historical meeting of the members of the Serbian and Montenegrin Conference of Catholic Bishops with the members of the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The commission members acquainted the cardinal with the concrete steps that have been undertaken in the area of ecumenicism, emphasizing three levels: prayer and spiritual meetings, issuing of various publications that promote dialogue and meetings at various levels. Cardinal Bozanić expressed support and recognition for all the ecumenical attempts that the domestic Church is undertaking in this region, pointing out that ecumenicism is an examination of conscience for the Church and its great task. He also pointed out how the engagement of Pope John Paul II in the area of ecumenicism is a great sign and challenge for the entire Catholic Church. “Ecumenicism is a task on which we must work ceaselessly and be patient, because the results are visible when God wants them to be and not when we want them to be,” said Cardinal Bozanić. Cardinal Bozanić also met with the Catholic priests of the Belgrade Archdiocese and presented a document on the Church in Europe which he had helped to prepare as a member of the Special Council for Europe of the European Synod of Bishops.

On Saturday, June 12, Cardinal Bozanić again met with Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian Orthodox Church at a meeting also attended by the episcopes of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Catholic Archbishop Stanislav Hočevar of Belgrade and the general secretaries of the European Conferences of Bishops. Patriarch Pavle pointed out the necessity for cooperation between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in the testimony of Christ’s gospel in the modern world, which necessarily also includes a readiness for sacrifice.

“The common basis from which we start is our faith in Christ that obliges us to cooperate for a better foundation for Christian values on the European continent,” said Cardinal Bozanić, greeting the Patriarch and the representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In the discussion that followed, there was mention of the topic of the mission of the Church in today’s world. The Patriarch supported the credibility of words and deeds in Christian life. The good cooperation between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian and Montenegrin Conference of Catholic Bishops, that is evident in the activities of the Permanent Commission for Dialogue and even more so through the joint solution of problems that arise, such as on the occasion of the reinstatement of religious education in public schools in Serbia, when the joint testimony of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches defeated the position of the atheistic circles that the Churches are factors of division in the society; as well as in questions of cooperation with the mass media, where they also appeared together. The representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church presented the suffering of the Church in Kosovo and Metohija to their guests, and the Patriarch gave everyone a book with information on this subject. Thanking the Patriarch for his gift, Cardinal Bozanić said that it is the obligation of all to preserve Christian shrines because these are places of encounter between God and man. At the end, Patriarch Pavle once again expressed the need for the creation of Christian unity, particularly in the modern mission of the Church.
On Saturday, June 12, Cardinal Bozanić met with representatives of the Croatian National Council (HNV) and the Croatian Academic Association. The Croatian National Council is an umbrella organization for the Croatian associations of Serbia and Montenegro that according to the Minority Rights Act is the legal representative and intermediary body in the areas of the use of language, culture, education and media. Cardinal Bozanić showed great understanding and expressed his support for attempts to preserve the Croatian identity in that region.
The 32nd Annual Meeting of the General Secretaries of the European Bishops’ Conferences concluded with the celebration of the Mass in the Parish of St. Anthony in Belgrade on June 13, conducted by Cardinal Bozanić.