Honorary Consulate of the Russian Federation opened in Novi Sad
His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije attended, on 23 April 2026, the ceremonial opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Russian Federation in Novi Sad.
Greeting the assembled representatives of the Republic of Serbia and the Russian Federation, as well as other distinguished guests, Patriarch Porfirije emphasized that the Orthodox Church is one and unique, and that many nations within it, through communion with God, are also in communion with one another:
— And therefore, when we speak about the cooperation of Orthodox peoples, as is the case at this moment with the cooperation between the Russian and the Serbian people, we speak of one Church and one faith; in fact, we speak of one people. All nations within the Orthodox Church constitute one and a single people – they form the Body of Christ. In this sense, both the Serbian people and the Russian people are part of the same people. Moreover, the history of our two peoples shows that precisely because we are one Church, because we share one faith, because we are a people of the same faith, historically we are, in essence, one people.
— Cooperation between two peoples implies one and the same work, one and the same witness – a witness of love for God and a witness of love for the human person as the meaning of our existence. From this dual witness proceeds everything that we are, that has been confirmed throughout history, that obliges us today, and that serves as a guarantee for the future. On this occasion, on behalf of all those gathered, I congratulate Mr. Dušan Bajatović, Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Novi Sad — concluded the Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije.
The ceremony was also attended by: Their Eminences Metropolitans kyr Vasilije of Srem and of kyr Irinej of Bačka; Their Graces Vicar Bishops kyr Stefan of Remesiana and kyr Damaskin of Mohacs; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mr. Alexander Grushko; Ambassador of the Russian Federation Mr. Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko; as well as representatives of the public and cultural life of Novi Sad.
Greeting the assembled representatives of the Republic of Serbia and the Russian Federation, as well as other distinguished guests, Patriarch Porfirije emphasized that the Orthodox Church is one and unique, and that many nations within it, through communion with God, are also in communion with one another:
— And therefore, when we speak about the cooperation of Orthodox peoples, as is the case at this moment with the cooperation between the Russian and the Serbian people, we speak of one Church and one faith; in fact, we speak of one people. All nations within the Orthodox Church constitute one and a single people – they form the Body of Christ. In this sense, both the Serbian people and the Russian people are part of the same people. Moreover, the history of our two peoples shows that precisely because we are one Church, because we share one faith, because we are a people of the same faith, historically we are, in essence, one people.
— Cooperation between two peoples implies one and the same work, one and the same witness – a witness of love for God and a witness of love for the human person as the meaning of our existence. From this dual witness proceeds everything that we are, that has been confirmed throughout history, that obliges us today, and that serves as a guarantee for the future. On this occasion, on behalf of all those gathered, I congratulate Mr. Dušan Bajatović, Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Novi Sad — concluded the Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije.
The ceremony was also attended by: Their Eminences Metropolitans kyr Vasilije of Srem and of kyr Irinej of Bačka; Their Graces Vicar Bishops kyr Stefan of Remesiana and kyr Damaskin of Mohacs; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mr. Alexander Grushko; Ambassador of the Russian Federation Mr. Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko; as well as representatives of the public and cultural life of Novi Sad.
