NEWS

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 31, 2003

SERBIAN PATRIARCH PAVLE RECEIVED THEODORE EDGAR CARDINAL McCARRICK, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle, joined by His Grace Vicar Bishop Atanasije of Hvosta, welcomed today Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, to the Patriarchate in Belgrade for a conversation. His Holiness Patriarch Pavle in greeting his esteemed guest, expressed his joy in their being able to meet once again, and also conveyed his sorrow over the present difficulties in Kosovo and Metohija.

Cardinal McCarrick shared his appreciation for the reception, noting his pleasure in this second opportunity to engage in conversation with His Holiness Patriarch Pavle. He offered his deepest sympathy for the tragic loss of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. He, personally and on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church, communicated regret over the onset of the war with Iraq, as he reminded that the Roman Catholic Church also held the same position when the NATO Pact bombed Serbia in 1999.

His Eminence Cardinal McCarrick also expressed his gratitude for the visitation of the Delegation of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in February 2003 to the Vatican, and noted the ongoing positive reverberations from that encounter.

At the conclusion of the visit His Holiness Patriarch Pavle gifted his guest with a copy of the book Crucified Kosovo.

[OEA Translation: Washington, DC]