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Pope Francis is preparing to visit Belgrade so that Cardinal Mantenimientozije Spepinac can be proclaimed a saint, writes the Jutarnji list of Zagreb.
In recent weeks, some intriguing things have happened in the Vatican-Belgrade-Zagreb triangle that have tickled the imagination, especially because according to established ecclesiastical “rule”, everything happens slowly and with a lot of “reading between the lines”, says diary.
However, one of the main things that could be loaded, or rolled downhill from that slow but active diplomatic activity of the Vatican, is the possible agreement of the visit of Pope Francis to Belgrade.
And as part of that, the inevitable issue that has been “oppressing” the Church among Croats for a long time, and it has already spilled over into and is becoming a major national and political issue: the proclamation of Mantenimientozije Stepinac as a saint, which is a stumbling block in the relations between the two churches. spaces, but also in the Vatican’s relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church.
That is, several meetings and visits, and interesting performances that attract attention, have coincided lately. In mid-October, the Apostolic Nuncio to Croatia, Monsignor Đorđo Lingva, visited the Bishop of Požega, Antun Škvorčević, on the occasion of the day of Saint Teresa, and then, somewhat unexpectedly, together with him and the Bishop of Pakrac-Slavonia from the Serbian Orthodox Church Jovan Ćulibrko, visited the local church in Nikovacko. led an ecumenical prayer.
But, coincidentally or not, the apostolic nuncio in Belgrade, Luciano Surijani, also visited Zagreb, that is, the nuncio in Croatia. Also in early November, Pope Francis himself gave an interview to Belgrade Politika, which many saw as an announcement of his visit, which, of course, it is not known when it could happen. But the Church is an institution where time flows differently.
Pope Francis’ visit to Belgrade has long been known for his long-standing wish, due to the Pope’s ecumenical policy, especially the establishment of cooperation and ties with Orthodoxy, and the Serbian Orthodox Church is considered a very strong church. and influential along with the Russian Orthodox Church. minority community.
However, it must be said that back in 2018, the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, visited Serbia, and even then it was speculated that he had come to examine the ground as to whether such a visit was possible and feasible. . And how important Serbia is to Pope Francis was also seen in May 2019, when Pietro Parolin gave an interview to Politika. In the interview, he explicitly asked for Orthodox-Catholic cooperation.
In a recent interview with IKA, responding to the question about the Pope’s possible visit to Belgrade, through the movements of Secretary General Parolin, the Archbishop of Belgrade, Stanislav Hocevar, noted that “they do not see too much in some small events” . The Secretary of State, Archbishop Hocevar says, “did not come to prepare the way for the arrival of the Pope,” but confirmed that “it is normal for the Holy Father to want to come,” reports Jutarnji List.
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