Trieste, October 11, 2000 (IKA) — In the October 11 issue of the daily newspaper Glas Istre, there is an interview with the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana and all of Italy, Jovan Pavlović, on the fall of the regime of Slobodan Milošević and the political changes in Yugoslavia. At the beginning of the interview, entitled “It is a Miracle of God that Everything Proceeded without Bloodshed,” Metropolitan Jovan saluted the change in the Belgrade authorities, pointing out that he respects the will of the nation. In response to questions about The Hague War Crimes Tribunal and the fate of Slobodan Milošević, Metropolitan Jovan responded that it is necessary to establish all the factors regarding the Hague Tribunal from the legal aspect, noting that the Holy Scriptures state that each person must answer for his acts, i.e. not only for his acts but also his thoughts. Metropolitan Jovan also expressed his sorrow for the bloodshed and crimes that cannot be justified in any way, and added that it is necessary to mourn all the victims, express solidarity with all who have suffered and “those who are responsible for this should stand before a court of justice and present an accounting of their behavior,” because only in this way can a program of reconciliation and the restoration of peace be realized. “It is necessary to conduct all encompassing dialogue at the political level and at the intellectual level, i.e. at the levels of the academies of sciences, scientific institutions etc., in order for our intellectuals to clean out all the sources of conflict on the territory of the former Yugoslavia in order for the Church, within the framework of ecumenicism, to operate on the principles of evangelical solidarity. As Christians, we must sincerely and correctly eliminate all misunderstandings and everything that could provoke new conflicts among the ethnic nations,” said the Serbian Orthodox metropolitan. Speaking about the fate of refugees and displaced persons, and his desire for them to return to their homes as soon as possible, Metropolitan Jovan pointed out that the international community has a great responsibility to correct the situation as painlessly as possible and allow people to exercise their right of freedom of movement.