Milatovic Meets Pope Leo XIV, Brings Tennis Racket
Montenegro's president is on an official visit to the Holy See for the 140th anniversary of the Concordat, and his office says he is bringing the pope three gifts, including a tennis racket.
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic is on an official visit to the Holy See on Saturday, October 3, where Pope Leo XIV receives him in audience. His talks with senior Vatican officials come in the year Podgorica marks 140 years since its Concordat with the Holy See. Montenegro is a neighbor of Serbia, and Milatovic is the head of state of that neighboring country.
The president’s office announced the visit in a statement and then published the list of gifts Milatovic is bringing to the pope. Sources do not give the time of the audience, and the outcome of the talks had not been announced when this article was published.
What is on the agenda in the Vatican?
The president’s office names improving relations, preserving peace and mutual respect as the topics. Talks are planned with other top Holy See officials as well, not only the meeting with the pope. The office’s statement says:
“The talks will focus on further improving relations between Montenegro and the Holy See, preserving peace, and the importance of mutual respect and understanding”
The occasion is a double anniversary: 140 years since the Concordat between the Principality of Montenegro and the Holy See, and 20 years since the establishment of modern diplomatic relations. In the same statement, the office describes what the visit means:
“The official visit to the Holy See confirms the continuity of a relationship that has lasted almost a century and a half, and opens space for strengthening it further, in a spirit of dialogue, peace and mutual respect”
Why does the 1886 Concordat still matter?
The agreement was signed by Pope Leo XIII and Montenegrin Prince Nikola I Petrovic Njegos. Montenegro concluded it eight years after international recognition at the Congress of Berlin, and according to the president’s office it was one of the first agreements of its kind the Holy See made with an Orthodox country. The office draws a wider conclusion from that:
“That historic step bears witness to a long tradition of dialogue and respect for religious differences in Montenegro”
That is why the first gift is no accident. It is a framed reproduction of the first page of the Concordat, a document that, in the words of the Office of the President, “bears the signatures of Pope Leo XIII and Montenegrin Prince Nikola I Petrovic Njegos and is a valuable testimony to the historical, state and diplomatic ties between Montenegro and the Holy See”.
The office also draws a comparison between the two popes. The current pope, Leo XIV, took his name after Leo XIII, who is remembered for advancing workers’ rights and social justice, and the statement concludes:
“In this way, the 1886 document symbolically links two historical eras and two popes who share the same name, while recalling the long tradition of relations between Montenegro and the Holy See”
What else is Milatovic bringing the pope?
The second gift is a handmade filigree piece modeled on the Dobrota lace kept on the altar of the church in Muo, near Kotor. The president’s office says it “represents a blend of traditional Boka craftsmanship and the cultural heritage of Boka, but also a reminder of the centuries-long presence of the Catholic community in Montenegro”.
The third gift is a specially made tennis racket decorated with motifs of Montenegro’s state symbols. The office says the choice reflects Pope Leo XIV’s well-known fondness for tennis.
The office rounded off the list with a single sentence:
“From historical ties and diplomatic heritage, through the rich tradition of Boka, to the modern motifs of Montenegro, each of the gifts carries a part of the story of our country, its cultural wealth and its historical heritage”
