In this article, we first briefly present the beginnings of ecumenism in the Catholic and Serbian Orthodox Churches, which serves as the foundation for a better and more comprehensive understanding »The Pre-conciliar ‘ecumenical’ correspondence between Serbian Orthodox bishop Varnava Nastić (1914–1964) and Croatian Catholic nun mother M. Amadeja Pavlović (1895–1971) from 1951 to 1953«. Secondly, one poem and six »ecumenical«letters are published: the poem and four letters by Serbian Orthodox Bishop Varnava Nastić, and two letters by Croatian Catholic nun mother M. Amadeja Pavlović, SCSC. By publishing translations of the original historical documents, which are preserved in the Archives of the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross in Đakovo, we wish to acquaint the wider public with an example of pre-conciliar practical ecumenism between a Serbian Orthodox bishop and a Croatian Catholic religious superior, the provincial, in the then-socialist state of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia. This article does not analyze the content of the corresponden-ce in detail but publishes it in its entirety. To facilitate understanding of the correspondence, we provide basic biographical information about the correspondents and some helpful notes.
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