TRAVEL REPORT The Hon. Michael Atkinson MP Attorney-General ...

His Holiness has published Devich, The Monastery of St. Joanikije of Devich(1989) and Questions and Answers to the Church Reader (1988) . For the past20 years, he has been responsible for the column in the Glasnik of theSerbian Patriarchate known as Questions and Answers, dealing with liturgicaland sacramental questions . Through his efforts the Holy Synod published thenew version of Srbljak in 1968 . He also coordinated the reproduction ofliturgical studies Christian Feasts by M . Skabalanovich, published originally inKiev in 1915 in six volumes . The most monumental contribution of H . H .Patriarch Pavle was the translation of the New Testament published in 1984under his supervision . This was the first official Serbian translation of the NewTestament approved by the Serbian Orthodox Church . If all Bishop Pavle'sworks were published, there would be thousands of pages and manyvolumes . Patriarch Pavle exemplifies simplicity in his lifestyle and is theembodiment of humility and personal holiness, a most worthy helmsman toguide the "Ship of the Church" in these troubled times .Meeting SummaryArchbishop Pavle welcomed us and shared with us his knowledge andexperiences of his life in Serbia . He spoke about the Serbians who live inAustralia and also about the troubles facing those who live here, especially inKosovo .His philosophy was that, although a person cannot choose where he is born,he can control is how he deals with the situations that confront him .In this country they experience many difficulties .He had been the Archbishop of Kosovo for 14 years and lived happily formany years in areas where people practised different religions perhapsbecause he himself was born in such a place . During his time in prison, henoticed a number of Albanians working to ethnically cleanse Kosovo ofSerbs . This was during the atheistic communist period .Church representatives met together where he represented the SerbianOrthodox Church . During meetings issues of common interests werediscussed such as, the desire for people to enjoy peace, justice and liberty .The Archbishop offered us a publication which describes the situation inKosovo .The greatest tragedy befell those people who lost their lives and who lost theirfamily members . The other great misfortune was the destruction of thechurches and mosques . Their destruction is a great loss because they notonly have a religious significance but are of historic and cultural value .He regretted that in parts of the world, the Serbs are depicted as bad,sometimes inhuman people, and believes they only have themselves toblame . He prayed that with the help of the Lord that we would attain freedom,peace and justice for all .Travel Report, Hon. Michael Atkinson, MP. and Ms. Vini Ciccarello MP., August, 2004 97