SERBIAN PATRIARCH AND SARAJEVO ARCHBISHOP MEET IN BELGRADE

BELGRADE, July 9 (Hina) - The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle, and the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, met in Belgrade on Wednesday. It was the first high-level meeting between Serbian Orthodox and Roman Catholic dignitaries since the collapse of the former Yugoslavia and the ensuing war. The meeting also involved the Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade, France Perko, members of the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Bosnian Serb bishops. In their statements to the press, Pavle and Puljic expressed satisfaction that the meeting had taken place. Pavle said that they discussed important issues for the two churches, believers and all people of good will. Describing the talks as open and cordial, Puljic said that their purpose was "to find a way of building peace and respecting our differences." Participants in the meeting agreed that it was necessary that religious newspapers should stop publishing articles showing disrespect for either religious community. Puljic said that they also discussed creation of a theological commission of the Catholic Church in Croatia and the Serbian Orthodox Church, adding that he was trying to bring together Catholic Church representatives in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Yugoslavia to participate in its work. (hina) vm mm 092058 MET jul 97