SERBIA-HOLY SEE

BILATERAL POLITICAL RELATIONS

The Republic of Serbia has maintained full diplomatic relations with the Holy See since March 1919, when the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes established regular diplomatic relations.

Serbia has its Embassy with the Holy See in Rome and the Vatican has its Nunciature in Belgrade. Prof. Darko Tanasković, Ph.D., is the Ambassador of Serbia to the Holy See.

There exist prospects for the further successful development of relations between Serbia  and the Holy See. For Serbia, cooperation with the Vatican has both an internal and a foreign policy dimension in view of a considerable Roman Catholic population in this country, and having in mind that the Holy See is undoubtedly a factor that has an important international moral and political impact.

Among the officials of the Republic of Serbia, the following visited the Holy See in the 2003-2006 period:

·        Former Serbia and Montenegro President S. Marovic made visits in 2003 and 2005.

·        Serbian Foreign Minister V. Draskovic paid a visit in 2004.

·        Serbian President B. Tadic made his visit in 2005.

The Holy See's Foreign Minister J.L.Toran paid an official visit to the former Union of Serbia and Montenegro in Februrary 2003.

INTER-RELIGIOUS COOPERATION

Relations between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church/ Holy See have been at the stage of an open and useful dialogue. The new Pontiff is one of the main champions of ecumenical dialogue with the orthodox churches and the Serbian Orthodox Church, which he sees as the main interlocutor, in addition to the Russian and the Greek Orthodox Churches. In this context, of particular significance was the ecumenical Dialogue Commission which met in Belgrade on 15-25 September 2006 after an interval of six years.

Important also are numerous visits of the delegations of the Serbian Orthodox Churche's Holy Synod to the Vatican, as well as participation of representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the work of the World Bishops Conference (2005), a lecture given by Metropoliten Irinej and Metropoliten Amfilohije to students of the Lateran University (March 2006), as well as a joint parayer and working day of members of the Holy Synod and the Bishop's Conference in Belgrade in April 2003.

CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL COOPERATION

In June 2004, the Faculty of Theology of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Lateran University of Rome signed an Agreement on the exchange of professors and students between the two higher education institutions.