NEW BELGRADE ARCHBISHOP OFFICIALLY INSTALLED

BELGRADE, April 17 (Hina) - The new Archbishop of Belgrade, Stanislav Hocevar, was officially installed at a solemn mass on Easter Monday. During the ceremony in the Church of St. Anthony in the Yugoslav capital, Hocevar's predecessor, Franc Perko, handed over the shepherd's cane, a symbol of the leader of the archdiocese, to him. Addressing the present, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Eugenio Sbarbaro, praised Perko for his devoted work in the last 12 years while he was at the helm of this archdiocese. He also forwarded special regards to the incumbent Yugoslav President, Vojislav Kostunica, who attended the ceremony, and told him that representatives of the Roman Catholic Church "are permanently praying for him and the authorities in Yugoslavia to be steadfast on their path of reforms." The retired Archbishop Perko reminded that the Roman Catholic faithful accounted for "only two per mille" of the entire population in the FRY and added that one should have "a skill to lead such a small flock to the Kingdom of Heaven in such an eventful age." The newly-installed Archbishop expressed wish that the unity among Christian churches be consolidated and that "all who are seeking God" may hold a dialogue. Present at the ceremony were also foreign diplomats in Belgrade, dignitaries of the Serb Orthodox Church, state officials, Roman Catholic dignitaries from neighbouring countries and a few hundred believers. (hina) ms