CARDINAL KASPER IN YUGOSLAVIA ON ECUMENICAL AND SPIRITUAL VISIT

VATICAN CITY, MAY 11, 2002 (VIS) - Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, arrived in Yugoslavia yesterday and will remain there on a visit until May 15, upon the invitation of the episcopal conference. Fr. Jozef M. Maj, S.J., official of the Eastern section of this dicastery, is accompanying him.

During the visit, which is of an ecumenical and spiritual nature and for contact with the local Catholic Church, Cardinal Kasper will meet with His Beatitude Pavle, the Serbian Orthodox patriarch, according to a communique published yesterday afternoon.
On Sunday May 12, the cardinal will attend a liturgy officiated by Patriarch Pavle in the shrine of Saint Sava, in the presence of the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria, Petros VII, who is visiting the patriarch of Serbia during these days.

The president of the Council for Christian Unity will participate in various meetings with priests of the archdiocese of Belgrade, to whom he will speak about the "vision of the Catholic Church regarding ecumenism." He will address the bishops of the different churches present in the country on the theme "Christians responsible for their unity."

The cardinal is also scheduled to visit Novi Sad where he will meet with bishops and priests of Serbia and Montenegro and will visit the Orthodox monastery of Kovilj.

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