Information Service of HIS BEATITUDE PETROS VII, His Beatitude Petros VII, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa arrived today for an official visit to His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle and the Serbian Orthodox Church. The primate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the second in the Orthodox world, was welcomed at the airport by a delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church comprising Patriarch Pavle and members of the Holy Synod of Bishops, as well as Mr Bogoljub Sijakovic - the Federal Secretary for Religious Affairs and Mr Vojislav Milovanovic - Minister for Religious Affairs in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. The doxology was served in the Belgrade Cathedral, and, apart from hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Minister Milovanovic, representatives of the Yugoslav Army and a great number of the faithful attended this service as well. Pointing out that "all of us need peace, hope and love in this difficult period", Patriarch Pavle welcomed His Beatitude Petros VII with the words: "Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord". Patriarch Pavle also addressed "an earnest entreaty and prayer to bless our people, priests and all the people of good will in our country and in the world" and thanked him for "prayers and all the efforts he makes to the benefit of our people". "The goal of Our visit is to enhance the existing spiritual relations between the two Churches. Together with the Serbian people we undergo all your afflictions and difficulties and sympathise with you. We are for dialogue, since we, observing our principles, most decisively believe that dialogue brings exclusively goodness for the entire mankind. We send the message of love and joy and wish the Risen Lord should give to your people the Paschal joy", said Patriarch Petros VII, upon his arrival into Belgrade.
Patriarch Petros VII will, within his visit which will last till May 16, visit several dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church and meet church and state officials. |
