Zagreb, December 9, 1997 (IKA) — The Public Relations Office of the Archbishop of Zagreb issued a statement on a meeting held today, December 9, between Catholic Archbishop Josip Bozanić and Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan Bishop Jovan Pavlović. We present this statement signed by the head of the Public Relations Office, Nedjeljko Pintarić. in its entirety, as follows:
“Today, December 9, the president of the Croatian Conference of Catholic Bishops and archbishop of Zagreb, Josip Bozanić, received the Most Reverend Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana and all of Italy, Jovan Pavlović, at his request, at the archbishop#!s residence in Zagreb. The meeting lasted one and a half hours and was also attended by the metropolitan#!s archregent and parish priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Zagreb, the Rev. Milenko Popović. Metropolitan Pavlović congratulated Archbishop Bozanić on his recent assumption of the duties of the archbishop of Zagreb. He then reported on the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Zagreb-Ljubljana Metropolitan Diocese and throughout the Republic of Croatia. There was mention of the need for the Serbian Orthodox bishops to return to Croatia. The Serbian metropolitan bishop noted that in addition to the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, a #!Bishop#!s Council#! has been organized from the territory of the Republic of Croatia. At the end of the meeting, there was discussion about the need for joint proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ and joint efforts to promote the values of the Gospels at the end of the twentieth century of Christianity and the beginning of the third millennium.