Bishop Irinej of Backa awarded the Hungarian Order for his contribution to the historical reconciliation of the two peoples

"The role of Bishop Irinej Bulovic in the historical reconciliation of the Hungarian and Serbian people and his work on the promotion of interfaith dialogue have significantly contributed to the strengthening of trust and the development of relations between the two peoples," the letter from the President of Hungary János Áder says.

At the appropriate ceremony held on September 28, 2021, at the Patriarchal Palace in Belgrade, in the presence of His Holiness Porfirije, the Serbian Patriarch, Bishop Jerotej of Toplica, Bishop Justin of Hvosno, elected Bishop of Marca, Archimandrite Sava, the head of the Patriarch's Office; members of the state delegation of Hungary, as well as Mr. Bálint Pásztor, Member of Parliament and prominent representative of the Hungarian people in Serbia; Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary Mr. Zsolt Semjén, on behalf of the President of Hungary Mr. János Áder, decorated His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa with the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit.

The ceremony was also attended by Mr. Antal Benkovics from the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the representative of the Serbs in the Parliament of Hungary, Mr. Ljubomir Aleksov; Consul General of Hungary in Subotica, Mrs. Eszter Csallóközi; Mr. Radován Rusz from the Consulate General of Hungary in Subotica, Secretary at the Embassy of Hungary Mr. Robert Kaszab and Mr. Bálint Pásztor from the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians.

Patriarch Porfirije: The cross is a symbol of the crucifixion, but at the same time a symbol of victory

His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch officiated the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the Monastery of the Presentation of the Most Holy Mother of God in Belgrade, on September 27, 2021, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

His Grace Bishop Jerotej of Toplica, the elected Bishop of Marca, Archimandrite Sava, with the clergy of the Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovac concelebrated to the Patriarch.

Bishop Metodije of Budimlje-Niksic enthroned

His Holiness Porfirije, Serbian Patriarch, officiated the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi and on that occasion he introduces His Grace Metodije to the throne of Bishop of Budimlje-Niksic on 25 September 2021.

The Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church was concelebrated by His Beatitude Kyr Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje; Their Eminences Metropolitans Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral, as well as Their Graces Bishops: Justin of Zica, Jovan of Sumadija, Atanasije of Milesevo, Grigorije of Dusseldorf and Germany, Marko of Bregalnica, Teodosije of Raska-Prizren, Maksim of Western America, David of Krusevac, Jovan of Slavonia, Kirilo of Buenos-Aires and South America, Dimitrije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina, Isihije of Valjevo, Metodije of Dioclea and elected of Budimlje-Niksic, Stefan of Remesiana and Justin of Hvosno.

At the end of the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy, the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije held a sermon, while the decision of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church on the election of Bishop Metodije as Bishop of the Diocese of Budimlje-Niksic was read by Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia, a member of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church. His Holiness Porfirije,  Serbian Patriarch then introduced Bishop Metodije to the throne of the Bishops of Budimlje-Niksic.

Reception for Patriarch and hierarchs in the Embassy of the Republic of Greece

The Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in Belgrade, H.E. Georgios Djakofotakis, hosted a reception for His Holiness Porfirije, the Serbian Patriarch, in his residence.  and members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on September 23, 2021.

The reception took place in the spirit of cordial friendship between the two fraternal peoples.

Biography of Bishop Metodije (Ostojic) of Dioclea, elected Bishop of Budimlje-Niksic

Archimandrite Metodije (baptismal name Ljubisa) Ostojic was born in Sarajevo on April 1, 1976, as the third child of Orthodox parents Milinka and Dragica (born Milicevic). He finished the eight-year school and first two classes of the high school in Sarajevo, BH, from where he and his family due to civil war conflicts moved to Podgorica, Montenegro.

The other two classes of the high school he finished in Podgorica. During his stay in Sarajevo he finished elementary music school. After graduating from high school in 1994, he immatriculated to the Faculty of Economics at the University in Podgorica, where he graduated in 2001. In 2002 he came to the Cetinje Monastery, where he was tonsured on the eve of the feast-day of Sts. Peter and Paul, on July 11, 2004, and got the monastic name Metodije (according to St. Methodius the Slav Enlightener.

Monk Metodije was ordained by Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegrin-Coastlands as hierodeacon in the church dedicated to this feast at Zabljak, Montenegro (from where his family descends) on the feast-day of the Transfiguration of the Lord in 2005. He received priestly ordination in the Cetinje monastery on Easter in 2008.  A year later, on November 22, 2009, he was elevated to the rank of a protosyncell in the monastery of Slanci near Belgrade by Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro-Coastlands, with whose blessing he assisted, since the end of 2007, the Primate of the Serbian Church, Pavle, during his stay at a Belgrade hospital, and performed this obedience until the repose of the saintly Patriarch in November 2009.

As a principal of the Cetinje monastery, he was appointed on February 1, 2010, and was promoted into the degree of an Archimandrite in the Cetinje monastery on the feast-day of Sts. Peter and Paul in 2013. In that same year, he graduated from the Orthodox Theological Faculty of St. Basil of Ostrog in Foca, University of East Sarajevo, with the diploma paper on the educational role of monasticism.

At the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade, he defended, in 2015, his post-diploma research work on Mitropolitan Vavila of Zeta (1494-1520) and his contribution to Serbian spirituality and culture.

Since 2012 he has been a member of the Patriarchate Board of the Serbian Orthodox Church on behalf of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro-Coastlands. He is also a member of the Diocesan Council and the Diocesan Board of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro-Coastlands.

At the  Faculty of the Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade in 2015, he defended his Master thesis on the topic Metropolitan Vavila of Zeta (1494-1520) and his contribution to Serbian spirituality and culture under the mentorship of Professor Predrag Puzovic, PhD. Archimandrite Metodije spent an academic year 2016/17 at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, studying Greek, with the aim of starting doctoral studies at the Theological Faculty of this University.

Patriarch Irinej officiated the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy and the solem consecration of the proclaimed High Venerable Archimandrite Metodije (Ostojic) to the rank of Bishop of Dioclea, Vicar of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral at the Cathedral church of the Resurrection in Podgorica on 22 July 2018.  During the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church held in May 2021, he was elected Bishop of Budimlje-Niksic.

How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

His Grace Bishop Lukijan of Buda welcomed President of the Republic of Serbian Mr. Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mr. Milorad Dodik at the church of Holy Greatmartyr George in Budapest on 22 September 2021.

- In the name of the clergy, monastics and the faithful people in Hungary, I have the honour to greet two of our leaders and fighters for their people. The Holy Scripture says: How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, and you, dear presidents, testify to that. It is not easy for you, people may not know, but God sees everything and knows everything, and you did well to enter the house of God this time as well, and that is exactly the church of St. George the Victory-bearer. When you enter the mill, you can't help but pick up at least a little flour, and in the church, God's help, which you definitely need with our support. You are doing great deeds by strengthening the friendship of the Hungarian and Serbian people, and especially with your aid to the Diocese of Buda. We remember everything with gratitude for what you have done and what you will definitely do in the years to come. For many years, Bishop Lukijan said.