Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you (2 Cor 13:13).

1. By God the Father’s will, from which all gifts come, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the help of the Holy Spirit Consolator, we, Pope Francis and Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, have met today in Havana. We give thanks to God, glorified in the Trinity, for this meeting, the first in history.

It is with joy that we have met like brothers in the Christian faith who encounter one anotherto speak face to face (2 Jn. 12), from heart to heart, to discuss the mutual relations between the Churches, the crucial problems of our faithful, and the outlook for the progress of human civilization.

Competition for erection of a monument in honor of Stefan Nemanja

The Board for erection of the Stefan Nemanja Memorial brought a decision to launch a domestic public tender for erection of a monument to Stefan Nemanja, as well as of the Memorial complex “Serbian Middle Ages”.

Belgrade, 11 February 2016. - At the proposal of Prime Minister and President of the Commission Mr. Aleksandar Vucic, the Board expressed its intention to locate the future monument to Stefan Nemanja and the Memorial complex at the corner of Knez Milos and Nemanja streets, the governmental office for cooperation with media announced. The final decision regarding the location will be brought at a future session, in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

New church-school congregation of the SOC in London

With the blessing of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej, under the auspices of the Diocese of Britain-Scandinavia and the dedication of the competent Bishop His Grace Dositej, the new parish of Saint Basil of Ostrog in East London began to function on 6 February 2016.

With the Holy Liturgy on the feast-day of Venerable Xenia of St. Petersburg the new Orthodox-Christian mission in Great Britain began to work. Besides the current parish and church of Saint Sava, multibillion London and 40.000 Serbians got a new altar of the Orthodox faith, dedicated to the great Saint of the universal Orthodoxy, Saint Basil of Ostrog the Miracle-worker, and another Serbian church-school congregation to the benefit of our compatriots and all the other Orthodox faithful.

Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom

Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom: During the eleventh century, disputes raged in Constantinople about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest. Some preferred St Basil (January 1), others honored St Gregory the Theologian (January 25), while a third group exalted St John Chrysostom (November 13).

Dissension among Christians increased. Some called themselves Basilians, others referred to themselves as Gregorians, and others as Johnites.

By the will of God, the three hierarchs appeared to St John the Bishop of Euchaita (June 14) in the year 1084, and said that they were equal before God. “There are no divisions among us, and no opposition to one another.”

Saint Xenia of Petersburg is commemorated in Serbia

On 6 February 2016, the commemoration day of St. Xenia of Petersburg was celebrated at the Church o f the Holy Trinity, the metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belgrade. St. Xenia is venerated in Serbia as deeply as in Russia.

Every year even more worshippers from Belgrade and other cities come to a small Russian church at the Tašmajdan park to venerate the icon with a particle of stone from St. Xenia’s coffin.

Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord!

Serbian Patriarch Irinej I to visit the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand

With exceeding great joy we herein announce that, at the invitation of His Grace Bishop Irinej of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand, His Holiness the Archbishop of Pech, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch Kyr Irinej will visit the Metropolitanate of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Fifth Continent from 2^nd to 13^th March 2016.