Patriarch IrinejThe newly-enthroned patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church has called for dialogue to overcome differences with the Catholic Church and is open to the possibility of a papal visit to Serbia in the near future.  Even before he was elected, Bishop Irinej signalled his desire to see the Serbian Church improve ties with the Vatican.  The 80-year old Patriarch Irinej, a moderate churchman in the very conservative Serbian Church, has proposed 2013, the 1700th anniversary of the promulgation of the Edict of Milan under Constantine the Great, as a “good opportunity … to meet and talk,” saying that, “with God’s help this (dialogue) would continue to overcome what had happened in history and take a new, Christian road.”  He has suggested a joint ceremony to commemorate this event, to involve the Pope and Orthodox leaders, and has proposed the Serbian city of Niš, Constantine’s birthplace and his former bishopric, as the location.

The Pope (at least in modern times) has never visited Serbia.  Until now, the Serbian Orthodox Church had opposed such a visit, and the Balkan wars of the 1990s largely fought between Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats exacerbated the tensions.  The recent past “was not the right moment (for the papal visit) and we decided to postpone it for more peaceful times,” said Patriarch Irinej.