Statements

Communiqué

SYNAXIS OF THE PRIMATES OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES
Chambésy, 21-28, 2016

C O M M U N I Q U É

At the invitation of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Synaxis of Primates of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches took place at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Geneva, from 21st to 28th January, 2016.

The following Primates attended:

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria
Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow
Patriarch Irinej of Serbia
Patriarch Daniel of Romania
Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria
Patriarch Ilia of Georgia
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus
Archbishop Anastasios of Albania
Archbishop Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

The following Primates were unable to attend: Their Beatitudes Patriarch John X of Antioch and Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, for health reasons, and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, for personal reasons. Nevertheless, all three were represented by official delegations of their Churches.

Patriarchal Nativity Enclyclical

The Serbian Orthodox Church
to her spiritual children at Christmas, 2015

+IRINEJ

By the Grace of God
Orthodox Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch, with all the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church to all the clergy, monastics, and all the sons and daughters of our Holy Church: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, with the joyous Christmas greeting:

Peace from God! Christ is Born!

"Sing to the Lord; bless His name;
Proclaim His salvation from day to day;
Declare His glory among the Gentiles,
His wonders among all peoples."
(Psalm 95 (96): 2-3)

With these words, dear brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord and our dear spiritual children, King David calls us to this Feast Day and to this festive celebration which the Lord Himself has prepared with His Birth from the Most Holy Virgin Mary in the Bethlehem cave. Two thousand years ago, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, together with the righteous Joseph, came to Bethlehem of Judea to be registered. Joseph's registering among his brothers and his kinsman served in the economy of salvation and in fulfilling the prophecy told by prophet Micah: "And you, O Bethlehem, House of Ephratha, though you are fewest in number among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the One to be ruler of Israel. His goings forth were from the beginning, even from everlasting." (Micah 5:1)

Communiqué оn The St Sava Monastery in Hall

Communiqué of The Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand

The Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand of the Serbian Orthodox Church and His Grace Bishop Irinej are pleased to announce that the Supreme Court of New South Wales has today, 24 December 2015, confirmed the orders made by the Court on 29 May 2015 and adopted the scheme put forward by His Grace Bishop Irinej for the future management of the St Sava Monastery under the auspices of the Metropolitanate and the authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Press Release

The Serbian Orthodox Church welcomes the decision of UNESCO which rejected the proposal to receive so-called Kosova into its organization. The entire time Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church sought for the delaying of this debate in order to avoid unnecessary political confrontation, but since Serbia's request was denied voting took place which showed that there was no readiness in UNESCO to make hasty political decisions which endanger the safety of the Cultural heritage and the dialogue that Belgrade is already leading with Pristina.

It is obvious that the issue of the spiritual and cultural heritage can not be solved through politicization, particularly in a situation where, after the war in Kosovo and Metohija, so many Christian Orthodox shrines and cemeteries were destroyed. Confidence has to be built through deeds, not words, and certainly not negating the very difficult situation in which our faithful people and our holy sites have been living in for many years after the war in Kosovo and Metohija.

Bishop Irinej writes to Ministers of Australia and New Zealand on preventing admission of “Kosovo” to UNESCO membership

Bishop Irinej of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand writes to Foreign Ministers Julia Bishop of Australia and Murray McCully of New Zealand on preventing admission of “Kosovo” to UNESCO membership

On 30^th October 2015, writing on behalf of the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand of the Serbian Orthodox Church and their substantial Serbian communities, especially in Australia and New Zealand to The Honourable Foreign Ministers Julia Bishop of Australia and Murray McCully of New Zealand, Bishop Irinej urged them and their respective governments, in the strongest possible terms, to assist in preserving, without compromise, our Serbian cultural and spiritual patrimony of Kosovo-Metohija, by preventing the admission of “Kosovo” to the membership of UNESCO.

Serbian Patriarch to His Spirtual Children: Save Serbian and World Heritage

BY THE GRACE OF GOD,
ARCHBISHOP OF PEC, METROPOLITAN OF BELGRADE-KARLOVCI AND SERBIAN PATRIARCH IRINEJ

Dear spiritual children,

Our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija and the holy shrines of the Serbian Orthodox Church are in great danger, because the proponents of the so-called state of Kosovo want to obtain the membership in UNESCO and confiscate Serbian churches and monasteries. Therefore, the Serbian Patriarchate calls all pious and Orthodox people, all people of good will and everyone who cares about the rights and justice in the world, to oppose the so-called state of Kosovo's membership in UNESCO, which threaten to cause a humanitarian disaster and destruction of Serbian Orthodox shrines and thus the UNESCO world's heritage.

Consequently, the Serbian Orthodox Church announced on its website www.spc.rs  some most relevant information.

We strongly invite you to share the following information on our website, and to share the website SAVE WORLD HERITAGE http://saveworldheritage.org/  through your social media and internet means in the most visible way possible, until 9 November 2015; join our efforts to inform the international community of the gravity of situation and the current danger threatening the sacred, spiritual and cultural heritage and Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. We are convinced that this kind of information would help many uninformed people get informed quickly and efficiently.

We believe this would help the members of the General Assembly of UNESCO, despite all the pressures, to make a fair decision before the final vote at the forthcoming session and preserve Serbian and World Heritage in the South Serbian province.

With the blessing,

SERBIAN PATRIARCH
+IRINEJ

* * *

PAR LA GRÂCE DE DIEU,
ARCHEVÊQUE DE PEC, MÉTROPOLITE DE BELGRADE ET DE KARLOVCI,
PATRIARCHE SERBE IRINEJ

Chers enfants spirituels,

Nos frères et sœurs au Kosovo et Métochie et les lieux saints de l'Église orthodoxe serbe sont en grand danger, parce que les représentants de l'autoproclamé état du Kosovo veulent adhérer à l'UNESCO et confisquer ainsi les églises et monastères, mettant en danger le reste de la population serbe qui les maintient, ainsi que le peuple albanais, mettant en danger la véritable communion et le développement au Kosovo et Métochie. Par conséquent, le Patriarcat serbe appelle toute personne pieuse, toute personne de bonne foi, et tous ceux qui se soucient des droits et de la justice dans le monde, à s’opposer à l'adhésion du Kosovo à l'UNESCO, ce qui équivaudrait à une catastrophe humanitaire ou la destruction des sanctuaires orthodoxes serbes reconnus comme le patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO. À cette occasion, l'Église orthodoxe serbe annonce sur son site Web  http://www.spc.rs/   les informations ad hoc.

Nous vous invitons à diffuser, les informations que vous trouverez sur notre page de site internet, ainsi que sur le portal SAVE WORLD HERITAGE http://saveworldheritage.org/ sur vos  réseaux sociaux et sur internet de façon à ce que ce soit le plus visible, avant le 9 novembre 2015, et de nous aider à informer le large public concernant la situation grave et la grande menace à laquelle est confronté le patrimoine  sacré spirituel et culturel ensemble avec le people au Kosovo et Métochie. Nous sommes convaincus que la diffusion de ce type d'information aiderait  beaucoup, à informer de façon  rapide et efficace tous ceux qui ignorent ces faits. Nous croyons que cela aidera les membres de l'Assemblée générale de l'UNESCO, en dépit de toutes pressions, à prendre une décision juste au moment du vote final à la session en cours et de le patrimoine mondial et serbe dans la province du Sud de Serbie.

Avec la bénédiction,

PATRIARCHE SERBE
+IRINEJ