Nikolic "persuading patriarch to organize pope's visit"

Nikolic "persuading patriarch to organize pope's visit"

The president spoke in favor of unity and cooperation among Christians in the face of the dangers they face to various degrees, adding, "we should organize institutionally."

Nikolic also wondered if Christian churches, "unlike other religions," had to be "so separated, peoples divide, Christianity suffering blows for a thousand years - or if this could have been overcome sooner."

He spoke about the Vatican's decision not to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, "that is followed by many Catholic countries," and which he said his visit last year was dedicated.

Nikolic said he was convinced that Pope Francis would adhere to this position firmly, and added:

"I have tried to convince His Holiness the Serbian (Orthodox) patriarch and the bishops that we could organize the visit of the Roman pope to Serbia for two reasons - not to reconcile religions, that's not my (job)," Nikolic said, adding that the reasons were the bid to canonize controversial WW2-era Croatian Catholic cleric Alojzije Stepinac, and Kosovo and Metohija.

"It was then that I found out from the media it would be decisive, after all, to wait for the position of the Russian patriarch, although the ecumenical patriarch had already met with the pope, although the pope was in Greece, although he was in the Serb Republic - and I said then we should be deciding on this ourselves, but that the opinion of the Russian patriarch was very important, and that we should talk to him beforehand," Nikolic said.

According to him, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) was "surprised by the news" of the recent meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, "and was late there, though it could have led in establishing better relations."

Nikolic praised that meeting as "an excellent move - all the more so since the pope said, clearly and openly, although nobody expected it, that Vladimir Putin is today the protector of Christianity."

Nikolic stressed he is cooperating with the SPC and that the Church "offers advice, while he uses their experience - but sometimes they need to pick up the pace, because if the car is standing still, then nothing can happen."

Nikolic arrives in Moscow

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic landed in Moscow on Tuesday, where he will meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his two-day visit.

As the president's press office said in a release, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church gave a warm welcome to Nikolic.

On the first day of his visit, Nikolic will talk with Patriarch Kirill, who will present to him a special award of the International Fund of Unity of Orthodox Peoples.

On March 10, Nikolic will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Nikolic will also meet with Lyubov Glebova, director of the Russian federal agency for compatriots living abroad and international humanitarian cooperation, who is in charge of the project of mosaic decoration of St Sava's Cathedral in Belgrade.