"The small Catholic presence in Serbia, 5% of the population, made and will go on making its contribution to the march of Serbia towards democracy and freedom, especially in the current occasion of political elections, scheduled on Sunday 21 January, which are so important", said Father Franz Shenk to SIR. Father Shenk is the spokesman of the Archdiocese of Belgrade, led by Msgr. Stanislav Hocevar. "The people in the country wish to open themselves to Europe, he added, even though there are still nostalgic visions and problems linked with the past. However, for instance, last year’s visit by Cardinal Martino was very important. The issue in the local language of the Compendium of the Catholic Social Doctrine was also very important. Little by little, the Catholic thought is spreading, starting from the worlds of intellectuals, journalists and politicians. Last Sunday, the bishops announced a message, read in all churches, in which the population was invited to follow the duty and the responsibility to vote. The common good must be the source of inspiration for decisions". Father Shenk pointed out how the choice to assure ethnical and linguistic minorities a special treatment was positive for the elections, "as gateway to pacification and integration".
