Statements

Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagrеb-Ljubljana: Concerning the current attacks on the Serbian Orthodox Church

STATEMENT
Concerning the current attacks on the Serbian Orthodox Church

Regarding the media attacks of some individuals and associations on the Serbian Orthodox Church, its clergy and the faithful in Croatia, I feel an obligation to make the following statement:

The reason, but not a motive or a cause, for brutal, unprecedented attacks and calls for lynching of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia in recent years, are to be found in a recording created many years ago, during my visit to believers in Chicago, where, as a guest, I was not able to affect all the circumstances. Because of all those who have been in any way affected or felt offended, especially after the abuse and manipulation of the content of the recording by some media, I express my sincere and deep human regret.

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.

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

Bishop Grigorije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina appointed Administrator of the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia

His Grace Bishop Grigorije of Zaholm-Herzegovina and the Littoral is the Administrator of the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, at the session held on 28 October 2015 in Belgrade, passed the following decision: “Based on  Art. 70, Paragraph 21 of the Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Grace Bishop Grigorije of Zaholm-Herzegovina, is appointed as Administrator of the vacant Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia with all rights and duties of a diocesan Bishop”.

Serbia will not recognise Kosovo's independence, opposes its membership in UNESCO

Top state and church officials and representatives of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts invited members of UNESCO to reject application of Kosovo to UNESCO, and pointed out that Serbia will not recognise Kosovo's independence, and that it will continue its path towards EU membership, while cherishing and improving the traditionally good relations with Russia, China and other countries.

At today's meeting held at the Presidency of Serbia, which was attended by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic with advisers, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, National Assembly Speaker Maja Gojkovic, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, Ministers Nebojsa Stefanovic, Bratislav Gasic and Nikola Selakovic, Director of the Office for Kosovo-Metohija Marko Djuric, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej with members of the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church and President and representatives of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Vladimir Kostic and Ljubomir Maksimovic, the following conclusions were agreed and adopted:

Transfer of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to Belgrade

TO ALL THE HIERARCHS, CLERGY AND FAITHFUL
OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN FATHERLAND, REGION AND ABROAD

ANNOUNCEMENT

It is Our Honour to inform you about a magnificent event of the transfer of the Holy Fire from the Holy City of Jerusalem to Belgrade, which is going to come from the Holy Land to our Fatherland Serbia, God permitting, on the eve of the Resurrection Day of  Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, i.e.  in the evening on Holy and Great Saturday, April 11^th, 2015.