Zagreb, 6. 11. 1996. (IKA) – Serbian Orthodox metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana and entire Italy Jovan Pavlović, escolted by Šumadija episkopos Sava, visited Zagreb.
Zagreb Archbishop Franjo Cardinal Kuharić received him at Archbishop#!s residence, on Tuesday, 5th November. The official delegation of Serbian Orthodox Church Saint Synod was escorted by Zagreb Serbian Orthodox parish priest and proto-presbyter Milenko Popović. Bishops Marin Srakić and Marko Culej, secretary of Croatian Bishops Conference Council for ecumenism and dialogue dr. Antun Škvorčević were also present at the meeting.
After the meeting, Cardinal Kuharić gave an interview for IKA (Croatian Catholic Press Agency). We are giving it entirely:
“We were talking about coming out from past, about the future. We discussed what Churches could do to cure the consequences of the war and violence and what has to be done that people could understand that it is not possible to live in conflict, but the only way is to live in peace, based on justice, freedom, respecting the human rights. Churches have to try to cure the wounds in souls, and in consciences based on sincere analysis and respecting the facts, but always directed by the light of Gospel towards reconciliation, towards forgiving. Because of that, we are always for enabling the return of Serbian Orthodox priests and episkoposos in Croatia on principles of reciprocity, but also to be enable to our priests in Srijem to work among our believers without restrictions. Church, absolutely, has to support the stand-point that believers must not be left without priests, without moral support, without spiritual comfort. That is why we are for their return and pastoral work among their believers, because, educating and raising the people on principles of moral and good, no matter of nationality and confession, is always a constructive action for the whole society and for the entire nation, and actually for the whole state. The tasks of both Churches are to make peace between the people, to make them closer, to educate in faith and moral, in honest relations towards God and other men. The subject was also how to precipitate the normalization of the situation, so that Serbian Orthodox Church start to live normally in Croatia and to start its pastoral work under the conditions as they are in reality. The principles we are emphasizing are clear: human dignity, freedom of men, human rights, and rights of national communities. Living together is really possible based on justice and freedom. We are always looking at future. We do not want to be always at that dark past. We have seen what had happened, we have analyzed the causes clearly and openly why that had happened. But, now, we think about the normalization of life for the future. SPC (Serbian Orthodox Church), as Catholic Church, will try to help people in realization of better future life at these territories.
There is a problem of the return of SPC because of lack of accommodation, their residences are damaged, among them in Pakrac, Karlovac and in Zagreb. SPC will need to solve that problem in cooperation with our state. That is the reason why the delegation of SPC met with President Tuðman willing to talk with the government of this state in which they want to live and work on pastoral plan”.
Cardinal Kuhariæ and metropolitan Jovan Pavlović estimated the meeting as very ” positive and sincere. Metropolitan Jovan Pavlović met President of Republic Croatia dr. Franjo Tuđman, and ambassadors of USA and Germany during his one day visit to Capital of Republic Croatia.