National Assembly delegation headed by MP Andrijana Avramov, met today with the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Belgrade Monsignor Stanislav Hocevar, Major and Chief Military Chaplain Don Goran Avramov, Second Secretary of the Vatican Embassy Don Aleksandar Ninkovic and representative of the Administration for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities Gavrilo Grban.
Opening the meeting, MP Andrijana Avramov said what a great honour it was for her as a member of the Catholic faith to have the opportunity to hold the meeting today. Today's meeting is important because it allows both sides to exchange experiences, the MPs can listen to and see the position of the Catholic community in Serbia. The participants of the meeting broached the topics of the position of the Catholic Church and Catholics in the Republic of Serbia, cooperation between the Catholic and Serbian Orthodox communities, as well as between all the communities in the region and the world, and among other things, discussed the role of Caritas in the Republic of Serbia.
Vesna Markovic, Head of the delegation to OSCE and member of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief, and Dusica Stojkovic, Deputy Chairperson of the European Integration Committee, also addressed the attending, thanking them for today's meeting. The meeting was also attended by MP Rozalia Okresz who conveyed the greetings of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians Parliamentary Group, and MP Dr Muamer Bacevac, Chairman of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality.
The Archbishop of Belgrade Stanislav Hocevar took the opportunity to emphasise the important connection between science and religion, that is the university and the church. He opined that it is important to maintain permanent dialogue, stressing that this meeting is useful in that sense, and that it is also important to work on resolving the open issues concerning the position of the Catholic Church in Serbia.
Chief Military Chaplain Don Goran Avramov pointed out that the Military Medical Academy does not have an adequate place of worship for members of the Catholic faith, an issue a solution is being sought for. He said that the chaplains cooperate well with each other and that the role of religion is to bring people closer to each other, not to drive them apart. He also mentioned the good cooperation with the Ohio National Guard, which awarded the chaplains with medals for tolerance and religious cooperation i.e. for the promotion of peace and unity. He also pointed out that the Serbian Catholic Community could help a lot in the process of Serbia’s European integration.
Second Secretary of the Vatican Embassy Don Aleksandar Ninkovic said that the relationship between religious communities is based on education and that the National Assembly is the place which the impulse should come from on how religious communities should treat each other.
The officials concluded the meeting with an agreement that there will be a reunion and further cooperation.
