FROM YUGOSLAV ARMY OFFICER TO BELGRADE CATHOLIC PRIEST - Ninković: 'Pope Francis may visit Serbia, it's realistic'

Aleksandar Ninković is more than an interesting person to talk to – a Serbian born in Belgrade, he was an officer in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in Mostar, where his area of expertise was helicopters, and even had a music band for a while. Then, in the late 1980s, he left the Yugoslav People's Army, and in the mid-1990s he was baptized in the Catholic Church. In the meantime, he obtained an MA degree in Biblical Theology in Rome. Today he is a priest at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belgrade.

"There is always room for improvement. In the recent decades, the relationship has been good at all levels, both globally and in Serbia. We cooperate wherever possible, and the possibilities are many. Where could the relationship gain more footing? I believe that what seems to be lacking is more trust in each other. This lack of trust has arisen through history. There have been misconceptions, historical quandaries, international effects, etc. That said, it is all getting better."

How realistic is the possibility of Pope Francis visiting Serbia?

"It is realistic for a visit to take place. There is a possibility, as well as an inclination, and what it takes now is for all pieces to fall together. On the one hand, awareness is slowly growing about the Catholics' right to the Pope's visit; secondly, the Pope never goes to places where the majority church is even minimally opposed to a visit; thirdly, the Pope's visit to any country increases its democratic rating and reputation in the world. Therefore, it would enhance the importance of democracy. Serbia has nothing to lose here. The government bodies are very much in favour of a visit, and I think that a great many SOC dignitaries are too. A large percentage of the population isn't opposed to it either. As the Catholic Church, we have good relations with The Holy See and Serbia, and they can become even better. A visit would help the dialogue and reconciliation among Christians, as Pope Francis is a man of peace, and his visit would have a much deeper impact than it might seem viewing his arrival from the outside as an ordinary visit."

Do you agree with the claims that the Vatican is a place of great power?

"Of course the Vatican is powerful. It is a spiritual sort of power, not just of the Vatican, but also of Christ's Church. It is through this spiritual power, which only wishes well, that the Vatican has an impact on global politics. You know, Hitler could have attacked the Vatican and have it razed in a half hour, but he didn't dare, because even he was reluctant to launch an attack against the spiritual power of hundreds of millions of Catholics around the world."

What is it like being a Serbian Catholic priest in Belgrade? It is truly a rarity.

"It's good, I've had no problems whatsoever. Most people don't know that Catholics have been around since the Serbs converted to Christianity. The influence of the Eastern and Western churches in these parts have been present since time immemorial. Ever since back in the 9th century AD we arrived and 'spread out' around the Balkans, some were under the influence of the Eastern church, and some under the Western, depending on their location. In subsequent times, our rulers picked sides too, i.e. the spiritual centre of power which, in a manner of speaking, they found more useful. The people followed suit – initially, half the Serbs were oriented towards the East, and the other half towards the West. And then, during the Turkish reign, the Orthodox Church was the only organization here that could save the identity of the Serbs and their spiritual unity. This is why people identified with the SOC en masse back then. That's how things stand."

How did the people around you take your embracing of the Catholic faith?

"Without any problems. Family and friends support everything you do, especially if it is good and if it puts no one at risk."

Have you had any unpleasant experiences? I have read somewhere that back then you were seen by some as a traitor and by others as a spy.

"Yes, it did happen, but it was a tiny minority of cases. That's how things go with people who are moral nonentities, who don't use their heads to think but replace them with propaganda. That's how the non-Christians thought."

You were an officer of the Yugoslav People's Army, which you left in 1988, on the eve of the war in the former Yugoslavia. Why?

"I left the Yugoslav Army for different reasons. It had never been completely disorganized, but I no longer liked the system, especially in the air force, which is where I was. Thank God I left before all the 1990s wars. I didn't take part in them."

You once said: "People will not be saved by being Croatian or Serbian, but by the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Do you still stand by those words?

"That is correct, nothing will save us except Jesus Christ. It was God that created us, not the ideologies of this world. And nation is a kind of ideology. This is why Serbian or Croatian nationhood should not be adhered to – they are transient worldly forms. There are no Serbs or Croats in the kingdom of heaven – all who are there are God's children, so, one nation. We must steer clear of pride, especially if we see our own nation as something that puts us above others."

Are you at all surprised that the world is still deeply divided along many lines?

"Human divisions are a curse that has been upon us because of a single essential thing – the reason for our sojourn on earth. For, why are we not in the heavenly paradise? Because we must learn something – to shed our will and egotism, and accept God's will."

Boban Karović

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