Catholic Archbishop Prenđa, Serbian Orthodox Bishop Fotije and Representatives of the Serbian National Minority Meet in Zadar

Zadar, (IKA) – On Monday, June 26, under the auspices of the Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Croatia, at the Catholic Archdiocesan Ordinariate in Zadar, a meeting was held between the Catholic archbishop of Zadar, Ivan Prenđa, and the Serbian Orthodox bishop of Dalmatia, Fotije Sladojević, who was accompanied by Archimandrite German and the prior of the Krka monastery and rectory of Zadar, Petar Jovanović. The meeting was also attended by the head of the Mission of the OSCE in Croatia, Jorge Fuentes, General Vicar Archbishop Ivan Mustać, and representatives of the Serbian national minority in the Croatian Parliament, Milorad Pupovac and Ratko Gajica.

At the meeting, there was discusison about cooperative activities that would promote the return and reintegration of Serbs in the county, peaceful coexistence and reconciliation between Croats and Serbs, as reported at the press conference that followed. Archbishop Prenđa explained that the meeting was not held for political motives but humane and Christian ones, and that the heads of both Churches want Catholics and Orthodox Christians to live according to their beliefs in good conscience and according to their identities: spiritually, ecclesiastically, culturally and nationally. “These are human rights that must be respected, fundamental conditions in order for a society to live and grow,” said the archbishop, adding that he sees the problem from the human viewpoint and as a Christian will contribute to the development of coexistence and the resolution of specific difficulties and questions on the terrain. The archbishop expressed his readiness to support the rights of all and to seek the rebuilding of Catholic and Orthodox churches. “Everyone has the right to return and to leave. This right should be valid, based upon legal and Christian principles,” explained Msgr. Prenđa, adding that we cannot say that we are living according to the gospel if we do not support reconciliation. He further pointed out the ecumenical dimension of the meeting. Also discussed was the question of the development of the ecumenical relations: “As things develop, conclusions will be reached concerning the best forms of encounter, communication and mutual activity. For us in the ecclesial area, ecumenicism is a task that we experience as the mission of the Church. The Church wants us to work on drawing closer to each other and mutual contacts,” noted Archbishop Prenđa.

“A great tragedy occurred in these lands and we as a Church are here to heal the spiritual and physical wounds. For us as a Church, the spiritual wounds are more important because through faith and prayer we renew the inner person. State institutions are here to do something about the outward renewal of the churches, rectories and the houses of Orthodox Christians,” announced Bishop Fotije. Insofar as we are Christians, we live according to the law of reconciliation and love. We live through faith, God and forgiveness to our neighbor, as God forgives us, said the Orthodox bishop, adding that we are taught love of neighbor and God by our basic prayer in the New Testament. The nature of the Church is that it lives through forgiveness. “If we abandon that path, we enter different realms that are not authentically ours. In this we are all agreed and I hope that practical matters will begin to be implemented soon,” said Bishop Fotije.

Parliamentary Representative Pupovac expressed the opinion that the content of the discussion was valuable and encouraging for him as a political representative. This region, which is his homeland, endured great wartime suffering, he said, adding that the wounds are still felt. “Since we see Zadar and its surroundings, Central Dalmatia, as Croatia’s second hub in the near future, in terms of its economic, cultural and social potentials, we have the duty to remove the burden of the horrors of war from this region as much as possible and to create conditions enabling it to achieve its potential prosperity as soon as possible,” explained Pupovac, adding that the cultural riches of Central Dalmatia require us to do everything we can in order for the remaining questions of the war heritage to be resolved as early as possible: incidents, property disputes, for the Churches and the communities to open to each other and make their heritages and traditions a shared treasure in this region. “I am convinced that the prospects of Zadar and Central Dalmatia as a whole are growing and therefore it is essential for us to create conditions to alleviate the suffering from the horrors of war that are behind us,” concluded Representative Pupovac.

Ambassador Fuentes expressed satisfaction and optimism regarding the meeting of the Church leaders, which could be a contribution to future cooperation in this region. “The meeting between the Catholic and Serbian Orthodox bishops can contribute in the positive sense to the further development of the inter-religious cooperation that is necessary in order for the establishment of the final normalization of relations between the Catholic and Orthodox populations in this region. We have taken certain steps that will contribute to reconciliation and dialogue,” said Ambassador Fuentes, mentioning the possibility of holding workshops and programs in order for young persons to grow in acceptance and understanding, round table discussions and seminars for priests to discuss the possibilities for reconciliation and define problems from the perspectives of both Churches. He thanked Catholic Archbishop Prenđa and Serbian Orthodox Bishop Fotije for their engagement and contribution in the intellectual and moral senses. The topic of the coexistence of Croats and Serbs in these lands cannot be developed solely upon the humanitarian and religious basis said Ambassador Fuentes, expressing the hope that a solution will also be reached on the political level.