Zrenjanin Bishop Laszlo Nemet was quoted as saying that the pontiff was willing to come to Serbia if invited, explaining that "he goes there where he is invited".
"The (political) leadership of Serbia has before invited the Holy Father, but the Serbian Orthodox Church has halted the process," Nemet told a news conference in Petrovaradin.
He said that in the past the cooperation between the Catholic Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church used to be better regarding the preparations for marking the anniversary of the Edict of Milan.
"Unfortunately, this cooperation is not so good due to various developments," Nemet said.
The Edict of Milan was a proclamation that permanently established religious toleration for Christianity within the Roman Empire. The edict was the outcome of a political agreement concluded in Milan between the Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius in February 313 AD. Constantine I, or Constantine the Great, was born in the city of Naissus, Dardania province of Moesia, in present-day Nis, Serbia, which is why Serbia is perceived as a possible venue for some of the ceremonies in 2013.
The Catholic dignitaries also expressed their dissatisfaction with the apathetic restitution of Church property over the last few years.