Your Holiness,  

The congratulatory message you sent on 28 September to the newly elected President of Yugoslavia, Dr. Vojislav Kostunica, was excellent and very important for the future of the country.  I warmly congratulate you and the other members of the Holy Synod for having made such an important statement. 

I express my full support for your stand that reflects the Church’s concern for the future of the people.  You have rightly stressed the need for the handover of power at the top of the state and at all other levels be carried out in a peaceful and dignified manner since our country has had enough of lawlessness, disorder and bloodshed.  I am delighted the Church has taken such an unequivocal stand on the question of the ballot result thus indicating clearly to all citizens what  attitude to take on this issue in defiance of the regime’s manipulations.

Your congratulations to Dr. Kostunica are in tune with the Holy Synod’s historic message of 15 June 1999 in which you called on the regime to make way for new people, i.e., for a Government of National Salvation that would lead the country out the tragic situation caused by the regime.  On that occasion the regime refused to heed your appeal but this time after the decisive electoral victory of the Democratic opposition, everybody will have to submit to the will of the people.

Finally, we are on the eve of better days but since victory has not yet been secured, we must all remain firm, united and steady in our demand that the will of the people be honoured and power handed over immediately to the Democratic opposition. We pray to God that this is done in a peaceful manner and without revenge thus giving the chance to all the citizens of Serbia and Montenegro to live finally in peace and democracy.

Your Holiness, please pray for all citizens, for their freedom from oppression and for everlasting peace.
 

Yours loyally,
 

ALEXANDER            
 

London, 3 October 2000