Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
October 4, 2005

LETTER OF CROATIAN PRESIDENT STJEPAN MESIC
TO BISHOP FOTIJE OF DALMATIA

On September 30, 2005, His Excellency Mr. Stjepan Mesic, president of the Republic of Croatia, sent a letter to His Grace Bishop Fotije of Dalmatia stating the following:

It is with regret that I received news that a hooligan attack was committed against your residence in Sibenik. I would like to express my personal solidarity in this manner and the conviction that the police investigation will establish the identity of the perpetrators and the motives for their misdeed as soon as possible. The Republic of Croatia wishes to ensure peace and safety for all Croatian citizens, regardless of nationality and faith not only because of its constitution but also in reality. Incidents such as this only reinforce our conviction that all of us together, institutions of state government as well as representatives of the bodies of religious communities, must continue to work together on the promotion of peace, reconciliation and general welfare, as you have testified a number of times to date in your religious and pastoral work.

Source: www.predsjednik.hr

RESPONSE OF BISHOP FOTIJE OF DALMATIA
TO CROATIAN PRESIDENT STJEPAN MESIC

Respected Mr. President:

In my own name and on behalf of the Diocese of Dalmatia, we wish to express our most sincere gratitude for your letter of support and understanding following the attack on the building of our bishop’s residence in Sibenik.

Your letter and especially your decisive position with respect to this unfortunate event instill confidence in us, our Church and the Serbian faithful and give us hope for a peaceful and dignified life in a democratic and European Republic of Croatia based on the rule of law.

On the other hand, we pray to God for those who attacked us and our Diocese without any reason and in our hearts we do not foster the slightest hatred towards them for the Gospel we use calls on us to be the light of this world and a city that stands on the mountain.

We hope that this unfortunate incident will leave no lasting consequences in the souls of our faithful, either, but that we will take advantage of this also, with the help of God, for our own spiritual benefit.

We also hope that the timely intervention of appropriate institutions of the Republic of Croatia will contribute to the rule of law, justice and freedom, without which there can be no entry into the family of peoples of European culture, and by virtue of this fact, no realization of the highest achievements of European democracy.

Source: www.eparhija-dalmatinska.hr

[Serbian Translation Services]