Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
September 11, 2002

Vlade Divac, Dejan Bodiroga and Predrag Stojakovic, the best basketball players of the Yugoslav national team, visited the Serbian Patriarchate today. His Grace Grigorije, Bishop of Zahumlje/Herzegovina, received them in the name of the Serbian Patriarch Pavle.

Basketball champions of the world said that they came to the Patriarchate to express, in their own name and in the name of all the other basketball players of the national team, their faithfulness and devotion to the Serbian Orthodox Church, which – as they said – was the only one that took care of the entire Serbian nation, not dividing it because of its political or any other kind of affinity. They especially expressed their respect to His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle, the true spiritual father and leader of the Serbian nation, whom they gifted with a valuable icon.

His Grace Grigorije thanked the basketball players for showing the whole world that our people, apart from other numerous talents, are also persistent, diligent and willing to spread the name of the Serbian nation throughout the planet, in most beautiful way. As a token of recognition Bishop Grigorije gifted them with carved, decorated wooden crosses – signs of Christian victory.

ONE PLANET – ONE CHAMPION!