Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin in Belgrade

This year marks the centenary of the Archdiocese of Belgrade, and the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, took the opportunity to visit the Serbian capital, where he was received by the President of the Balkan country, Aleksandar Vucic.

During the talks, Vucic and Parolin discussed the current problems of the region. A significant part of the meeting was devoted to the Holy See’s support for peace. Vucic said Serbia “intends to continue developing and improving constructive relations” with the Vatican, with which, as the Serbian president emphasized, “it shares views on many international issues, especially on the protection of Christians and Christian heritage, as well as on the improvement of human rights of Christians.”

Vucic also emphasized that it is “vital” for the country to “protect, respect, and improve the rights of the Serbian and non-Albanian population in Kosovo, as well as protect and restore Serbian religious and cultural heritage, the Orthodox cemetery and cultural monuments under threat, especially Orthodox churches and monasteries protected by UNESCO.” In this context, Vucic said he “very much appreciates” the principled position of the Holy See on the issue of non-recognition of Kosovo’s independence.

Serbian President and Cardinal Parolin exchanged views on ways out of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which is spreading like wildfire on Russian territories. Before arriving in Belgrade, during a videoconference with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, the Vatican cardinal thanked the Russian authorities for “the release of two Ukrainian priests, Ivan Levitsky and Bogdan Geleta, fathers of the Holy Redeemer assembly released in June.” Cardinal Parolin called for “respect for human rights and the exchange of prisoners of war captured during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”