CHURCHES IN BRIEF
Serbia: card. Koch meets Orthodox patriarch Irinej Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, is in Serbia until 29 May for an official visit. From the ecumenical point of view the meeting with Orthodox Patriarch Irinej, on May 28 will be the highlight of the visit. The cardinal will attend the international ecumenical symposium “One, Holy, common and apostolic Church of Christ”, to be held in the auditorium of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade. The event promoted by the Archdiocese of Belgrade and dedicated to theologian Yves Congar, will be attended by Orthodox and Catholic theologians from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia, who will jointly reflect on various aspects of ecumenical dialogue as well as on the ecclesial profile. “This symposium – Msgr. Stanislav Hocevar, Archbishop of Belgrade, told SIR Europe – is a significant gesture of goodwill on the part of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology”. The prelate also highlighted “the commitment of the Serbian metropolitans in the Joint International Commission for Dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox.” “In this context, the visit of Cardinal Koch will confirm the good relations we already have with the Serbian Orthodox Church.” In addition to the highest state authorities, Koch will meet with Catholic bishops in Serbia and will visit the Diocese of Subotica, home to a large Catholic community. Belarus: first church dedicated to Saint John Paul II Msgr. Antoni Dziemianko, bishop of the diocese of Pinsk, consecrated the first church in Belarus dedicated to Saint John Paul II this month in Baranoivichi. The church was erected in less than a year thanks to the generosity of the donors and of the local parish community. “May it be the expression of our gratitude for the fact that God has given us this man. He sees us and blesses us in the home of the celestial Father”, said Msgr. Dziemianko, who reminded the faithful that it’s “equally a gift and a task”. May this church live, breathe and serve local parish communities”, said the bishop of Pinsk, conveying the hope that Catholics living in this area may grow up in the mercy of God and that the parish, guided by the Holy Spirit, may continue in its “dynamic spiritual development”. Although John Paul II has never visited Belarus in person, his commitment has given a significant contribution to the renewal of Church structures in the Country. Slovakia: a survey on religious freedom from the bishops Have you experienced some form of discrimination regarding conscientious objection? Have you been faced with acts of intolerance on religious grounds? Have you experienced limitations in your rights as parents to raise your children in conformity with your religious confession? These and many other questions can be found in a questionnaire drawn up and distributed by the Slovakian bishops’ conference in conjunction with the Institute for Human Rights and Family policies. Its purpose is to collect information on all forms of persecution on religious grounds against the inhabitants of Slovakia. The questionnaire was distributed across Catholic parishes and is also available on the website of the bishops’ Conference: www.kbs.sk. The replies will be collected by the end of May. “Kindly inform us if you experienced acts of discrimination or intolerance against the faithful in the period 2014-2015”, states the letter inviting all the faithful to contribute to mapping the situation in Slovakia.
