ZAGREB, June 7 (Hina) - The media in countries neighbouring Croatia continue to cover the visit of Pope John Paul II to Croatia with great attention.
ZAGREB, June 7 (Hina) - The media in countries neighbouring Croatia
continue to cover the visit of Pope John Paul II to Croatia with
great attention. #L#
Most electronic and print media coverage in Serbia on Saturday
focused on a meeting the Holy Father should have with a delegation
of the Serb Orthodox Church, headed by Zagreb-Ljubljana and Italy
metropolitan Jovan Pavlovic, in Osijek today.
"It is a protocol meeting through which we wish to show that there
are contacts between the two churches and extend support to the
world peace initiative, particularly after the pope's statements
against the war in Iraq and other conflicts," metropolitan Jovan
was quoted by Belgrade's Danas daily as saying.
He mentioned the pope might visit Serbia and Belgrade. "I have
already said in Croatian and Trieste media that it would be good if
the pope came to Serbia and take a walk down Serbian monasteries.,
to see the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and contribute to the
preservation of our sacred things, to stop the rampage of Albanians
who have demolished monasteries dating back to as early as the 13th
century. It is the goal of us all to preserve the Christian image of
Europe, of which the pope often talks."
Politika daily ran two pieces on the pope, asking in one headlined
"In Expectation of Positive Signals" how realistic was the
possibility of a visit to Serbia-Montenegro.
"Certainly the silence (of the Orthodox churches in Serbia and
Russia) denotes a negative attitude" despite the fact that dialogue
between the Vatican and the Serb Orthodox Church (SPC) has begun
recently, Politika said, stressing, however, that SPC head Pavle
and John Paul II might, after all, meet during the latter's visit to
the Bosnian Serb capital of Banja Luka.
Ekspres politika began its piece by stating: "Since the Holy Father
landed at the airport on the island of Krk Thursday, there has been
no end to speculation as to why he visited with such conspicuous
frequency a country which foreign journalists in their reports dub
a 'bastion of militant Catholicism'".
This Belgrade-based daily added that "judging by the welcome speech
in Rijeka, John Paul II said very explicitly what the Vatican
expects of Croatia at this moment to 'push' its European Union
candidacy".
All print media in Bosnia-Herzegovina today ran pieces about the
magnificent welcome given to the pope in southern Croatia's
Dubrovnik yesterday by more than 60,000 faithful.
In Dubrovnik the Holy Father delivered fewer political messages
than in Rijeka on Thursday, Slovene daily Delo said today in an
extensive piece on the pope's second day in Croatia.
(hina) ha sb