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Serbian President Aleksandar Vui said at Patriarch Irinej’s funeral that he closed his eyes as he lived: in peace.
Source: B92
PHOTO TANJUG / ZORAN ZESTIC / bs
“His God was the God of reason, the one who follows, understands and loves. The God of us all, the one who does not share, but who unites. Love was the basis of his faith, and his Serbia was the Serbia of the peace, which understands, envelops and conquers. work, ”said Wui.
He recalled that the patriarch built the Temple of Saint Sava, and that in many ways he was the temple itself.
“Reconcile, wise, full of mercy. There were no jokes and hatred in front of him,” he said.
He put the Serbs above all else, he said.
“He surrendered to the duo with one wish, that his Temple, his dream, would never be ruined,” he said.
He compared Patriarch Irinej to a rock and made him remember for the splendor he left behind.
“I am willing to say that if it weren’t for him, we would have built this Temple for decades to come,” he noted.
The president also affirmed that the Temple of Saint Sava, which the patriarch wanted and finished so much, is the temple of such and such Serbia.
“In many ways, he was also this one in the temple. Reconcile, wise, full of mercy and love. Before him, our spiritual father, we did not share. There were no curses, envy, malice and hatred before him,” he said. Vui.
The living patriarch closed his eyes, he says, and gave his soul to God, with a single wish, a legacy, for all of us who remain:
“Let us never destroy his temple, his dream. Let us remain what he created, dedicated to God, to love, to Serbia and to the Serbian. Believe, love and do it together, gathered in the temple of wisdom and peace.”
Vui pointed out that it is a great obligation for us that, he says, we have always found it easier to share, to join, to fight, to reconcile, to hate, instead of loving, to avenge ourselves, a place to follow.
“And we destroyed many temples, before he convinced us to build this one.” If we will save him, taught by his wisdom, it is no longer just a matter of decency, but also a matter of our survival, “Vui said.
He asked if we would know, without him, his soft hands and his calm words, to remain one, without malice, trusting each other, understanding and following us.
“When His Holiness said so many times that it was possible, I believed him. You trusted him, all the men in this country trusted him. Therefore, I believe even today. That his teaching will remain. That we will continue to build temples and Serbia. That we will have ingenuity, common goals, the same faith and the same love, ”said Vui.
When the rock is separated from the mountain, an eternal void is left in its place, which cannot be filled for centuries, said the president of Serbia.
The late Patriarch Irinej left behind a work worthy of admiration, Vui said, noting that the patriarch united the Serbian people, and that his main concern was Kosovo and Metohija, and that he acted with rationality and calm, understanding the current reality. and all the historical Greeks.
In his speech, Vui said that the leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church had renewed the spirit of unity and unity of the Serbian people.
“He did not separate Serbia and Srpska from each other. Born Aanin who was loved and traveled by all the Serbs of Prekodrin. Thanks to his commitment, supplications and prayers, there were no quarrels or disputes between the Serbs east and west of Drina. We we have cared like never before in our history, without endangering anyone, “he said, highlighting that Patriarch Irinej left a work worthy of admiration.
The patriarch also worried about the fate of our people in Montenegro, not accepting, and in this matter he was intransigent, the division of our people and our people by Avnojevski avovi, although he traveled to each of the so-recognized states recently. created.
The president said the deceased patriarch’s biggest concern was Kosovo and Metohija.
“Both here and there, although he spent part of his life in Prizren, he acted rationally and with a cool head, looking for ways to preserve, or at least not recognize, the independence of Kosovo, understanding the current reality and all the historical mistakes we made. , but he believed and in the growing strength of the Serbian state and, sometimes, with a certain naivety, its power can convince the world that only a just and just solution is good for Kosovo and Metohija. “He traveled the western world and was convinced that one day he would understand the Serbs and accept at least part of our arguments, “he explained.
Patriarch Irinej, Vui said, essentially built the most beautiful not only Orthodox, but Christian temple in the world.
“We have been here many times and I know how long the day has come when the temple will be completed, how much energy and love he has invested in it, and I am ready to say that it was not there, we would have built it for decades. He is who said about this church that is the new Hagia Sophia, which will be the most important acquisition of Orthodox believers around the world. He loved Russia, was infinitely grateful to President Putin for his support in the construction of this temple and believed in the closeness of our peoples, “he said.
Vui noted that Patriarch Irinej is also responsible for the renewal of the culture of remembrance.
“He was the one who brought us together, as a true spiritual knight of Saint Sava, around the struggle and sacrifice of our people. We have been ashamed for years, we have kept silent about the suffering of our people, we have hidden the facts from the people, from ourselves, for fear of political sanctions, until Irinej, Your Holiness, has changed that. Thanks to him, more than anyone, today we are proud to talk about the heroes of Koara, they get their streets, boulevards, monuments. We are not ashamed of them, as we were until recently, but we are proud of their work, ”he said.
He recalled that for six years, with the blessing of the patriarch, NATO’s aggression has been marked, “not a campaign”, as some have bequeathed us, and that we are not afraid to tell the truth to the whole world, fighting for the peace and friendship with those peoples. who participated in that aggression.
“Patriarch Irinej blessed the memory and annual commemoration of Serbia and Srpska on the occasion of a foreign crime committed against the people of Krajina, against the young Serbs of Krajina. That is why every year, with tears and endless pain, we celebrate the suffering of our people in the Storm ”, he added.
Vui noted that Irinej was a great patriarch, stating that he reconciled and united the divided church in America and fought for the return of confiscated property.
He established a partnership with the state, saying “the state should do its job and the church its own.” Radei thus strengthened both the state and the church, fortunately for the people. He established a dialogue with the Vatican and convinced Pope Francis that Stepinac is not a saint, “he recalled.
Patriarch Irinej, under the Vui regime, is left with restored churches, monasteries, seminaries, and the church’s growing charitable work, from soup kitchens to helping the sick.
“The Temple of Saint Sava, the dream of nine Serbian and metropolitan patriarchs of Belgrade, ended with Metropolitan Mihailo, which has lasted 125 years. He has to go out with them before Saint Sava, Saint Prince Lazar and before their predecessors. And we, the people and the church, will need a lot of wisdom to save what he left us. Such a Serbia can be represented both in heaven and on earth. And as long as he does it selflessly in the higher spheres, here on earth, only we can do that ”, he stressed.
According to the president, the patriarch gained unlimited travel and great love for his people by constantly working with the Serbian patriarch Pavle, constantly willing to sacrifice, deeply aware of the teachings of the holy fathers that without great sacrifice there is no great love, and without great love there are no great feats.
“It was this love that raised dozens and dozens of ruined shrines from the ashes, and raised new temples from the foundations, crowning faith with this magnificent temple in which he gathered us today to be our grandfather, the patriarch, to send him to the Kingdom of Heaven. Looking forward to St. Simeon and St. Sava, Sv. Vasilije and Sv. Peter, “he added.
He also thanked the patriarch for every word he taught us all, for the love he instilled in us, for the wisdom we follow.
“Serbia remains on your path, aware that every two by three is a path of ruin, faithful to your work, to your temple, gathered around your goals. It is our obligation, it is our condition, it is our common desire, divided from today, and the same, in heaven and on earth, “said Vui.
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