BELGRADE BELGRADE, Aug 6 (Hina) - Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic on Sunday for the first time conducted a mass at Belgrade's Church of Christ the King in the presence of a large number of believers, priests and bishops.
BELGRADE, Aug 6 (Hina) - Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic on Sunday
for the first time conducted a mass at Belgrade's Church of Christ
the King in the presence of a large number of believers, priests and
bishops. #L#
Calling on the gathered to pray, Bozanic said he wanted to convey
the messages of the Catholic Church in Croatia. He also spoke about
the importance of his meeting with the head of the Serb Orthodox
Church, Patriarch Pavle, which took place today.
Bozanic and other members of a Croatian Bishops' Conference
delegation on visit to Yugoslavia were welcomed by Belgrade
Archbishop France Perko.
Perko spoke about the importance of Archbishop Bozanic's
ecumenical mission, which, he said, would result in the two
churches and peoples' drawing closer to each other and contribute
to peace among nations in the volatile Balkans.
In his sermon, Archbishop Bozanic told the gathered they were part
of Eucharistic unity which is the greatest form of Christian
closeness, today when the Church is celebrating Christ's
transfiguration.
Christians today are close to God and they have to follow that
closeness in the jubilee year of Christianity, which is what the
Holy Father urges as well, Bozanic said.
"We Christians are called so that God's beauty could relay itself
through us to the world and there is nothing more beautiful than
achieving unity with God and unity with people," Bozanic said.
Addressing Catholics and Croats living in Belgrade, Bozanic said
they had the privilege to be the means of building links within the
human community.
Participating in the mass along with Archbishop Bozanic and
Archbishop Perko were Djakovo-Srijem bishops Marin Srakic and
Djuro Gasparovic, who is also the general vicar for Srijem.
(hina) rml