The number one Catholic dignitary in Serbia is a Hungarian bishop: László Német was appointed last month to be the new Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Belgrade.
The former Bishop of Zrenjanin (Nagybecskerek, Serbia), the President of the International Bishops’ Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius, was appointed Archbishop of Belgrade by Pope Francis on 5 November.
László German succeeded Slovenian-born Stanislav Hocevar, who had led the archdiocese of Belgrade since 2001. László Német was born in 1956 in Hódság, a town in the Vojvodina (Vajdaság) region, which is part of Serbia, and is home to a large Hungarian minority.
According to the local news outlets, the ceremony took place in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Belgrade on Saturday.
In his speech, László Német stressed that he wants to cooperate peacefiully with other churches in Serbia. “I am thinking in particular of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as it is our bigger brother in this land, but I am also thinking of all historical churches and religious communities, and of walking together with them peacefully on the path to the kingdom of God”, he added.
The ceremony was attended by Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom and Budapest, and Serbian Patriarch Porfirije.
Featured photo via Youtube/Pannon RTV