Patriarch is not a Member of The Republic of Serbia Committee for Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising

The daily “Politika” of 28 January 2004, page A7, in an article titled, “Rehearsal without President” devoted to state preparations for marking two centuries of the Karageorge Uprising (or, as noted in the text, two centuries since the modern Serbian state), reports in addition to Zarko Korac, Natasa Micic, Dragoljub Micunovic, Josef Kasa, Cedomir Jovanovic, Rasim Ljajic, Dusan Mihajlovic and other dignitaries – that His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle is also a member of the republican Committee for the marking of this significant jubilee.

In the interest of truth, we herewith inform the public that His Holiness Patriarch Pavle has received a decision from the Serbian Government of 19 July 2003, according to which he was named as a member of the above-mentioned committee. However, in his letter of 6 August 2003, he “offered his appreciation for the entrusted honor” and expressed his hope that “the planned solemnity will be marked in a manner befitting its significance”.

We expect from “Politika” newspaper to amend this incorrect information and to inform the public that His Holiness Patriarch Pavle is not a member of the Republic of Serbia Committee for the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising.