Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
July 29, 2004

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DELEGATION VISITS SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

The Russian Orthodox Church has sent a high delegation on a friendly visit to the Serbian Orthodox Church from July 25 to August 10, 2004. The delegation includes His Eminence Archbishop Antonios of Krasnoyar and Eniseya; Hieromonk Nektarios, the abbot of the Holy Trinity council and the Archbishop’s personal secretary; Gennady Viktorovich Malashin, the editor in chief of the Diocese of Krasnoyar and Eniseya Information Service; Mr. Sergei Ivanovich Shcheglov, the director of the Diocese publishing house; and Mr. Aleksei Sergevich Churilov, the editor of the Diocese’s publishing activity. His Eminence Archbishop Antonios of Krasnoyar and Eniseya is the Archbishop in Siberia, a territory extending from the North Pole to Mongolia. His Diocese is larger than Europe in surface area and includes approximately three million faithful. When he ascended the throne of the restored archbishopric in 1989, only seven out of 528 were still in use. Today, fifteen years later, there are 170 active churches and five monasteries.

At the beginning of its visit to the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Russian delegation visited St. Michael the Archangel Cathedral; the Archbishop presided over Holy Liturgy in the church of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Zemun; and the delegation visited the church of St. Aleksandr Nevsky, the Russian church of the Holy Trinity, and the church of St. Mark in the Belgrade quarter of Tasmajdan.

On July 27, 2004 His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle received the representatives of the high delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church headed by His Eminence. In very pleasant conversation the Serbian Patriarch acquainted the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church regarding the current difficult situation of the Serbian Orthodox Church, especially in Kosovo and Metohija. During the course of the conversation Archbishop Antonios emphasized that members of his Diocese’s Information Service reported from the scene immediately after the March pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija. After meeting with His Holiness, the guests from Russia toured the museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

On the continuation of their tour of the holy shrines of the Serbian capital, they visited the monastery of the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple (Vavedenje), where the first nuns were Russians headed by Abbess Angelina. They went on to the monastery of Rakovica, where they paid their respects to the tomb of the Serbian Patriarch Dimitrije of blessed memory. The guests then visited St. Sava Cathedral in the Belgrade quarter of Vracar, and presented the director of the National Library with a book on Russian emigrants to Serbia. At the end of the day, the Minister of Religions in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Dr. Milan Radulovic, received the Russian delegation.

As part of the visit to the Serbian Orthodox Church on July 28, 2004 His Eminence Archbishop Antonios of Krasnoyar and Eniseya and his delegation visited Sremski Karlovci and Novi Sad. On the feast of the Holy Prince Vladimir a Doxology was served in St. Nikolaj Cathedral; after the service the host, His Grace Bishop Vasilije of Srem, and the guest, His Eminence Archbishop Antonios, delivered welcoming remarks. Bishop Vasilije welcomed Archbishop Antonios to Sremske Karlovce, the Serbian Zion, which during the revolution offered sanctuary to a large number of Russians and Russian clergy. On this occasion many Russians persecuted by the arrival of the new government in the state arrived in the ancient Diocese, which this year will be marking the 1,700th anniversary of the persecution of the martyrs of Sirmium. His Eminence Archbishop Antonios said: “We share with the Serbs the same spiritual roots, the same historical developments, the same human suffering but also many joys.” During the visit of the Russian delegation to Sremski Karlovci Hieromonk Irinej Dobrijevic held a lecture at the Youth Music Summer Camp in Sremski Karlovci on the topic of “Orthodox spiritual music as the bearer of enlightment”. After the lecture, the young people took active part in the discussion. The delegation then visited the Fruska Gora monasteries of Krusedol, Grgeteg and Hopovo in the Diocese of Srem.

The high delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church then visited the Diocese of Backa. His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa together with Archbishop Antonios attended evening services in the cathedral of St. George the Great-Martyr in Novi Sad. Bishop Irinej welcomed his guest who responded to his welcome with an inspired sermon. After evening services, Archbishop Antonios and his delegation visited Kovilj where His Grace Bishop Profirije of Jegar received them.

On Friday, July 29, the Russian delegation visited His Grace Bishop Lavrentije of the Diocese of Sabac and Valjevo. After visiting Sabac and Valjevo and the monasteries of Chelije and Kaona, His Eminence Archbishop Antonios and his delegation will be visiting Montenegro from August 1-8, where their host will be His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral. Upon their return from Montenegro to Belgrade, the Russian delegation will visit the Dioceses of Milesevo and Zica, and the monasteries of Mileseva, Studenica and Zica.

[Serbian Translation Services]