The Vigil Service in honour of the Jasenovac Holy Martyrs

His Grace Andrej, Bishop of Austria-Switzerland, presided over the Vigil Service on the eve of the feast of the Holy New Martyrs of Jasenovac in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Pakrac on September 12, 2020.

In the prayerful presence of the faithful of the Pakrac parish, clergy and monks, as well as of Bishop Jovan of Pakrac-Slavonia and  Bishop emeritus Atanasije of Zaholmje-Herzegovina, Hieromonk Sava (Vukajlovic), a brother of the Đurdjevi Stupovi monastery, and Deacon Miladin Vujkovic from Vienna concelebrated.

Symposium in Zagreb: New Martyrs - Polyperspective VI

As a part of the Day of the Holy New Martyrs of Jasenovac, which is being organized for the seventh time in a series by the Diocese of Slavonia, this year in Zagreb, with the blessing of  Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana, a scientific gathering was held dedicated to the martyrs who had witnessed to their faith during the most difficult years of the 20th century.

75 years have passed since the end of the Second World War and the breakthrough of the last Jasenovac camp inmates. The traditional one-day symposium entitled “New Martyrs: Polyperspective VI” was opened in the ceremonial hall of the Kantakuzin High School “Katarina Brankovic”, on September 10, 2020, by His Grace Bishop Jovan of Slavonia.

The Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana visited the Orthodox High School

On the second day of the school year 2020/21, September 8, His Eminence Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana visited the Serbian Orthodox High School Kantakuzina Katarina Branković in Zagreb.

Due to epidemiological measures, the Metropolitan visited each class separately. He wished the pupils and the teaching staff success and blessed their work. Addressing the pupils, Metropolitan Porfirije emphasized importance of hard work and  acquisition of work habits, solidarity and fraternal relations among students:

The Beheading of the Holy Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Why does the Church give such veneration to St. John the Baptist, even fixing a strict fast day in his honour? Here are ten reasons:

1. Our Lord Himself said that St. John was the greatest prophet “among those born of women” (Luke 7, 28). Some hearing these words are surprised. They ask: Surely, Christ Himself is the greatest man born of women? However, Christ was not born of a woman (i.e. a married female), he was born of a Virgin. Therefore, in obedience to our Lords words, that St. John is the greatest born of women, the Church duly honors him. In fact, there are no fewer than six feasts of St. John in the Church Year. The first is his Conception on September 23/October 6. Then comes his commemoration on January 7/20, the day after the Feast of the Baptism of Christ. The third is the Second Finding of his head on February 24/March 9. His next feast is the Third Finding of his head on May 25/June 7. The fifth is his Birth, or Nativity, on June 24/July 7, and finally today’s feast, the last in the Church Year, his Beheading on August 29/September 11.

Statement of the Serbian Patriarch Irinej

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch has said today that the only agreement that the Serbian Orthodox Church accepts is the one in which Kosovo is part of Serbia.

"That is absolutely the position of the Church, and nothing has changed there. We will still see in which direction the negotiations between the Serbian and Albanian sides are going, we are still getting to know the matter, "said Patriarch Irinej, commenting on the negotiations that took place between Belgrade and Pristina in the previous days.

Crown Prince visits the Patriarch

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch received His Royal Highness Crown Prince Aleksandar and Princess Katherine Karadjordjevic at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade on 8 September 2020.