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Serbian Orthodox Church: Too early for Pope’s visit to Serbia |
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08.11.09
Serbia President Boris Tadic shall not invite the Pope Benedict to visit Serbia during his visit to the Vatican next week. As ‘Blic’ was told at the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) it is still too early for the Pope to come to Serbia since the Serbian Patriarch is in the hospital presently. As we were explained a potential visit by, for example, the Patriarch of Moscow and the whole Russia would be in a way senseless, too because his Serbian counterpart is inactive due to illness.
 Serbian high delegation shall be visiting Italy as of November 11. On the first day of the visit President Boris Tadic shall meet with the President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano and on November 14 with the Pope Benedict XVI. Tadic has already met once with the Pope in September of 2005 as then President of Serbia within the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Tadic then expressed satisfaction with the way in which the Vatican understood the problems that Serbia was facing with, including Kosovo.
As ‘Blic’ was told at the Patriarchy in Belgrade it is still early for the Pope’s visit. The SPC is participating in the dialog with the Catholic and other churches. From the theological point of view the SPC has nothing against the Pope’s visit.
‘When we say it is too early for his visit we have in mind the historical burden. The Church does not want to heart the people and wounds are still deep with a part of our people’, we were told at the Patriarchy.
Ahead of definition of Kosovo status there was a question should the Pope be invited or not. Jovan, the Bishop of Zagreb and Ljubljana and the whole Italy said then that ‘it would be good that the Pope Benedict XVI comes to Serbia to see exceptionally difficult situation in which Serbs in Kosovo are living’. The Pope was expected to send a message to world leaders. However, the situation in Kosovo has not contributed to creation of better atmosphere since representatives of the Catholic Church in Kosovo and Metohija even claimed certain Serbian monasteries to belong to it.
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