Zagreb, June 8, 1997 (IKA) — A meeting among Catholic Bishop Marin Srakić of Đakovo and Srijem, Serbian Orthodox Bishop Lukijan of Osijek and Baranja and the chairman of the Committee for Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe of the American Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, was held on June 7 in Vukovar. The last previous meeting between Bishop Lukijan and Bishop Srakić had been in Slavonski Brod on August 24, 1991.
During yesterday#!s meeting, the representatives of the Catholic Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church in this territory presented various problems confronting them, about which they acquainted the delegation from the American Conference of Catholic Bishops. They decided to work together on reconciliation and coexistence between the Croatian and Serbian peoples.
Bishop Srakić emphasized at the end of this meeting that there had not been a war between the two Churches on this territory but despite all efforts, the Churches were not able to stop the war. However, the moment has come for renewal and every bishop is able to contribute something concrete for peace, said Bishop Srakić. At the conclusion of the meeting, Serbian Orthodox Bishop Lukijan stated, “We were pushed into a war in which both Churches were losers. We lost the living Church, the people. Someone was playing with us. We need assistance because we are exhausted and impoverished.”
In addition to Bishop Srakić, the Catholic delegation included Auxiliary Bishop Đuro Gašparović , Msgr. Luka Stragar and Msgr. Antun Jarm. Serbian Orthodox Bishop Lukijan was accompanied by his secretary, the Rev. Ratomir Petrovi of Vukovar. Archbishop McCarrick was accompanied by the Rev. Drew Christiansen. The beginning of the meeting was attended by its organizer, General Jacques Klein, transitional administrator for Eastern Slavonia, and his advisor for cultural and religious affairs, Wojtjeh Kaluza, who was present throughout the meeting.
Yesterday, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick had separate meetings in Vukovar with General Jacques Klein, representatives of the local Croatian government and the local Serbian population. He also visited Bilje in Baranja. Last evening, Archbishop McCarrick concelebrated Mass at the Đakovo Cathedral.