Macedonia’s new Ambassador to Holy See presents Letter of Credence

(April 22, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday accepted the Letter of Credence from Ambassador Gioko Gjorgjevski of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the Holy See, and expressed satisfaction at the positive developments between the two countries in recent years. The Pope also voiced satisfaction at the construction of new buildings for Catholic worship in different parts of the country. He assured the new ambassador that the Catholic Church, even if it constitutes a minority in the country, wants to offer its sincere contribution to building a more just and united society based on Christian values. Observing that after the tragic events of the last world war, and after the sad experience of a totalitarian denial of fundamental human rights, the Macedonian population is moving towards a harmonious progress, the Pope hoped that the citizens will continue to build the history of their nation based on a strong spiritual identity. Noting the country’s long tradition dating back to apostolic times, the Pope hoped that in the global context of moral relativism and a lack of religious interest in European society, the citizens of the Macedonia will open new horizons of true humanism based on Christian values.