His Holiness Porfirije, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch enthroned
The bells of the Cathedral church of the Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade rang at 11.25 am, indicating that the 46th head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Porfirije, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci and the Serbian Patriarch was enthroned.
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The solemn act of enthronement of the newly-elected Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch Porfirije began with the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the Cathedral church of Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade on February 19, 2021. The Holy Liturgy is officiated by the newly-elected first hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, with the concelebration of the hierarchs summoned at the Electoral Assembly of Bishops, clergy, and faithful people.
Among those who concelebrated to the Patriarch or attended prayerfully, were His Beatitude Archbishop of Skopje and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan, His Eminence Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, Their Graces Bishops: Vasilije of Srem, Lukijan of Budim, Nikanor of Banat, Longin of New Gracanica-Midwestern America, Mitrophan of Canada, Dositej of Britain and Scandinavia, Justin of Žiča, Pahomije of Vranje, Jovan of Sumadija, Fotije of Zvornik-Tuzla, Atanasije of Milesevo, Joanikije of Budimlye-Niksic, Grigorije of Dusseldorf and Germany, Teodosije of Raska-Prizren, Gerasim of Gornji Karlovac, Irinej of Eastern America, David of Krusevac, Jovan of Slavonia, Andrej of Austria-Switzerland, Sergije of Bihac-Petrovac, Ilarion of Timok, Arsenije of Nis, Kirilo of Buenos-Aires and South-Central America, Nikodim of Dalmatia, Heruvim of Osek-Polje and Baranja, Dimitrije of Zahumlye-Herzegovina, Antonije of Moravica, Stefan of Remesiana, Isihije of Mohacs, Metodije of Dioclea, Joakim of Polog-Kumanovo, Marko of Bregalnica and David of Stobi; protopresbyter-staurophors Sava Jovic, PhD, Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops; Zoran Krstic, rector of the Seminary of Saint John Chrysostom in Kragujevac, Professor Vladimir Vukasinovic, PhD, Diocesan Dean of Belgrade, and Petar Lukic, head of the Cathedral church of Holy Michael the Archangel in Belgrade; archpriest Srdjan Peric from Sombor; protodeacons: Radomir Percevic, Stevan Rapajic, Damjan Bozic and Ivan Gasic; hierodeacons Siluan from Mount Athos and Savo (Bundalo) from the Metropolitanate of Zagreb-Ljubljana; and deacon Erazmo from the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.
The solemn act of enthronement was attended by the President of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Aleksandar Vucic, member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mr. Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska Mrs. Zeljka Cvijanovic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Mr. Radovan Viskovic, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Culture and Information Ms. Maja Gojkovic, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Filip and Princess Danica Karadjordjevic, Minister of Justice Maja Popovic, Minister of the Interior Mr. Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic, Minister of Health Dr. Zlatibor Loncar, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, Director of the Security and Information Agency Mr. Bratislav Gasic, representatives of the Serbian Army, Director of the Office for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities Dr. Vladimir Roganovic, representatives of the Serbian people in Montenegro, Croatia and Northern Macedonia, Apostolic Nuncio Mr. Luciano Suriani, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade Stanislav Hocevar, Mufti of Serbia Mustafa ef. Jusufspahic, representatives of Churches and religious communities in Serbia, representatives of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Matica Srpska and other educational and cultural institutions, representatives of the diplomatic corps.
At the end of the Holy Liturgy, the solemn act of enthronement of His Holiness Porfirije into the holiest throne of Archbishops of Pec, Metropolitans of Belgrade and Karlovci and Serbian Patriarchs followed. Patriarchal insigniae to His Holiness Porfirije were handed over by His Eminence Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, and His Grace Bishop Lukijan of Budim.
His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch pointed out, among other things, in his introductory speech：
-With deep humility and awe, I accept the fact that today, with this conciliar celebration of the Divine service, is perfect in our eyes, minds and hearts, and that is that by God’s and the gracious consent of the hierarchs, my co-brothers in Christ, I was raised to the holy and divine, God-enhanced throne of Saint Kyr Sava - as the inspired medieval hagiographers called him - to the throne of the great archdiocese on which a worthy communicant of the apostolic seat should sit!
- I pray to God and I ask all of you to support me prayerfully and actively so that I can joyfully perform the great and responsible responsibility that was set before me by this sacred act, in obedience to the Holy Synod of Bishops! As the 46th patriarch, and the 57th primate of our Holy Church, to be at least the modest heir of my great and holy predecessors! In the first place, the twelve archbishops who, led by Saint Sava, headed our Holy Church from 1219 to 1346. Then, twelve primates, of whom as many as six were honored as saints, who spiritually presided over the Serbian people until the first abolition of the Patriarchate in Pec. I am also the heir of the great restorers of the Serbian Patriarchate - Makarije Sokolovic in 1557 and Dimitrije Pavlovic in 1920. I have been appointed to preserve and renew the memory of the labour, sacrifice, many times of martyrdom for the Church of God endured by my holy predecessors, from Gavril Rajic, via Lukijan Bogdanovic, Varnava Rosic and Gavril Dozic, to Vikentije Prodanov. And how bloodless was the martyrdom of the great Serbian Church primates? It is known only to God and to them. In the spiritual heritage of all of us, fathers, brothers and sisters, a lofty life goal has been left: to follow in the footsteps of the wisdom of Patriarch German, to follow in the footsteps of Patriarch Pavle and to be spiritual children of Patriarch Irinej in the great feat of peacemaking! - His Holiness Porfirije pointed out.
