Statements

Bishop Dr Irinej of Backa: Response to accusations of Mufti Zukorlic

These days, all local media reported the fierce accusations of Mr. Muamer Zukorlic, Mufti of the Islamic Community in Serbia, addressed on behalf of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, the state of Serbia and, ultimately, me personally.

What an ordinary Muslim, uninformed of the relations between the Churches and religious communities in the country, can conclude from Zukorlic's fervent statements that the Serbian Orthodox Church is some sort of a chauvinistic and extremist organization that only looks how to harm Muslims, and that I am some tyrant who lead a violence against Islamic religious education and other activities of Muslims in Serbia.

Unity of the Church in Australia and New Zealand is desire of whole Serbdom

This weekend finally a long-waited parallel session of Diocesan council of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand and Church-people council of the Diocese for Australia and New Zealand is being held on which a new mutual Draft Constitution should be adopted, by which the full ecclesiastic and administrative unity of the Church in Diaspora.

About the significance of this document and hopes that are given for this meeting witness the letters which have come these days in the Diocesan seat in Sidney, and in which His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic address the Serbian Orthodox people of Australia and New Zealand.

On behalf of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the letter was sent by His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegroa and the Littoral, who informed His Grace Bishop Irinej of Australia and New Zealand that the Synod on the session held on June 24 of this year generally accepted the Draft Constitution of "the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand."

Source: Diocese of Australia and New Zealand

Serbian Patriarch Irinej sends condolences regarding the death of General Pierre-Marie Galois

On the occasion of the death of General Pierre-Marie Galois, the great friend of the Serbian people, His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch expressed  to the family of the General and to the French people  deep condolences on behalf of the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Serbian people, as well as in his own name.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese issues statement on the rebuilding of NYC's St. Nicholas Church

The growing controversy over the construction of a mosque in close proximity to Ground Zero has raised a new awareness of the plight of the faithful of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was completely destroyed when World Trade Center Tower Two collapsed on it on 9/11. On Wednesday, August 18, 2010, Fox News aired a special report on the church, transforming what primarily had been a local/regional issue into a national one. The following day, Fox reported that Port Authority officials alleged that the issue was "dead."

Message of His Holiness IRINEJ, Serbian Patriarch

Today, Serbia leads one of the greatest battles in its history to save its soul and defend its Holy Land Kosovo and Metohija.

The momentous question is being resolved today in the Hague. Whatever the solution is going to be enacted, we must carry on our fight that with the negotiations we come to the most appropriate solution for Kosovo and Metohija, which will be acceptable to Serbs and Albanians, in order to live together in peace and prosperity and have a safe future.

Communique

His Holiness IRINEJ, Serbian Patriarch with the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops sent a letter to the EU Representative in Serbia Mr. Peter Sørensen expressing deep concern over the erroneous translation in Serbian of one part of the addressing of the EU Special Representative in Kosovo and Metohija Mr. Peter Feight in the European Parliament on June 22, 2010. Also it was expressed an extreme disappointment over the content of the Feight's  view on the situation in the southern Serbian province.

In one part of the addressing the European Parliament Mr. Feight positively evaluated that "transition of the SOC towards a more moderate approach in Kosovo is another positive development".This sentence in the Serbian translation of his addressing, which was sent to media by the office of Peter Feight, was incorrectly translated and means: "The transition of the SOC towards a more moderate approach regarding the Kosovo issue is another positive developement". The difference between " a more moderate approach (behavior) in Kosovo" and "a more moderate approach regarding the Kosovo issue" (is it regarding the issue of status?) is a very large and represents a grave mistake for which His Holiness has asked for the public correction and an apology from the office of the EU.