"Logical for pope to visit Serbia," says archbishop

"Logical for pope to visit Serbia," says archbishop

"I expect the government to be a team that knows what they want and where all work together, instead of every man for himself, in dialogue with both the people and the church," Hočevar said in a statement for Tanjug, adding that a lack of real, continuous and structural dialogue is a huge difficulty.

The new government should know that only an integral dialogue can show real results, as being selective means letting somebody enjoy the privileges that are not given to others, he said.

That is why, the archbishop said, it is logical for Pope Francis to come to Serbia, but not because one group of people is privileged and another is not, but rather because it is a logical stand held by someone who wants all-round prosperity.

"The Holy Father wants to come, but I have to say that the Pope has received so many invitations and he cannot always go where he would like to. It is therefore important that a state as a whole - the government and the church - take a common position and find an opportunity for that to happen," said Hočevar.

During a recent visit by the apostolic nuncio in Belgrade to Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church said he wanted to express his support for Serbia's integral development, Hočevar said, adding that preparations for lower level visits, aimed at improving dialogue, are well underway.

When it comes to relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Hočevar said that there is a lot of personal communication and collaboration, but not enough structural dialogue.

This means that all the bishops of the SPC and all the bishops of the Catholic Church should talk with each other more so that the two institutions could have a livelier relationship, he said.

Speaking about the current problems with the use of the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet in Croatia and the role of the Church in their solving, Hočevar said that much is going on there that represents neither a position taken nor request made by either the government or the church.

"The church in Croatia was not satisfied with the events in Vukovar in particular. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Church is the first to advocate for integral needs of every minority, including the Serb one," Hočevar said.