Porphyry Patriarch: Kosovo is an essential part of Serbia, referendum held in 1389 – Society

The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) Porfirio declared today that Kosovo is an essential part of Serbia, and that “the referendum on Kosovo was held in Vidovdan in 1389.”

“I don’t think there is any dilemma here, physically at the moment our state is not present in Kosovo in the full sense of the word, and essentially Kosovo is part of Serbia.” “What is the experience and attitude of the church? It has been said so many times in Parliament that everything I would say would be superfluous,” Porfirie told Serbian Radio and Television (RTS).

Porfirie said he was sure that regardless of the “circumstances of the realpolitik”, which he called not “the slightest favor for Serbia”, the state is doing everything possible to preserve the peace and do the most for the Serbian people. in Kosovo.

“Kosovo is not only the cradle of our people, but the ark is full of relics of saints.” Kosovo is not only a geopolitical issue for us, but also an issue of our identity, “he said.

He stressed that we should talk about the common life of Serbs and Albanians, and that anything that goes beyond that would be a renunciation of “our being” and evaluated that “God is on the side of Serbia”.

When asked about the position of Serbs in Croatia, where he was a metropolitan, the patriarch replied that the living conditions of Serbs should be improved and everything possible should be done to achieve reconciliation.

He stressed that it is necessary to talk about everything and that “pushing things under the rug” will not free Serbs and Croats from chains, insults, injuries and revenge.

Porfirio assessed that the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, made a great gesture by founding the Mixed Commission of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church to evaluate the role of Cardinal Mantenimientozije Stepinac during World War II.

No one can influence the election of the patriarch, the Church does not identify with anyone

“We did not like the fact that they were actually trying to bring division to the Church through the media, sometimes pretending to be opposing parties,” Porfirie told Serbian radio and television.

He evaluated that there is no possibility that the election of patriarchs is “influenced by someone from outside”, stating that the bishops know each other very well and that the patriarch is not chosen in the media.

He said that the Church does not identify itself with “any institution in this world, and in that sense it does not identify with any party or party.”

“Based on the principles established by Saint Sava, I realized that I had established a specific idea in the Orthodox world: the harmony of the Church, the people and the state,” he noted.

“The church always tries to build the best possible relationships with its state, taking care to build a Christian spirit among the people, helping to establish the independence and integrity of its state,” said the patriarch.

Porfirio said that he “never thought in his dream” that one day he would be a patriarch, but he already had the desire to “always be in the silence of the monastery.” But, they said that his clerics and his “spiritual father”, the bishop of Bačka Irijen, “must listen to the Church”, so, as he said, “let it be according to the will of God.”

He said that at the time of the election, it seemed to him that they had taken an envelope with the name of another bishop, and when he realized that it was his name, it was a “shock” with “deep fear” because of the responsibility of that you are not the title of boss.

“I saw two other candidates, Bishop Irinej of Bačka and Jefrem of Banja Luka, who also had a large number of votes, that the three of us were lost before the names of the chiefs were chosen,” Porfirie said.

Pope’s arrival in Serbia is uncertain but welcome

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), Patriarch Porfirio, said that the eventual arrival of the Pope depends on many factors and that “he will not think for himself, but everything must be the product of the conciliar thought, of the entire SOC.”

“What I can say on that subject, so far that I know, has never been an initiative of the Vatican in relation to our Church, or vice versa. Patriarch Irinej said it would be good and useful for the relationship between the two Churches, but God knows if and when it will be, “Porfrije told Serbian radio and television when asked if the Serbian Orthodox Church would consent to the Arrival of the Pope in Serbia.

When asked about the dispute between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he said that Patriarch Bartholomew did not act in accordance with the Church’s tradition and that the Serbian Orthodox Church is on the side of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Moscow Patriarchate accused the Ecumenical Patriarch of “invading” its canonical territory in Ukraine and giving autocephaly to some ecclesiastical organizations there outside the rules.

Porfirio said that he was “not a prophet”, but hoped that the Ecumenical Patriarch would not act in a similar way on the territory of Macedonia and Montenegro, adding that Bartholomew’s action towards Ukraine caused great upheavals in the Orthodox world.

When asked about his relationship with the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which seeks autocephaly, he said he will “have neither less nor more understanding” than previous Serbian church leaders.

“There will be no new things, but there may be a new path, each of us leaves a special mark, I care about overcoming the schism with the Macedonian Church,” said Porphyry.

He said that the Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church is always ready to reach a solution according to the canons, without pressure and political influences, as he stated, from the beginning of the schism until today.

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