His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije was ceremoniously welcomed in the afternoon hours of 2 November 2023, at the Monastery of Saint Sava in Buenos Aires.

On the occasion of the arrival of the First Hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, a festive rite of doxology was officiated with the prayerful participation of His Grace Bishop of Buenos Aires and South and Central America kyr Kirilo, Bishop of Niš kyr Arsenije, Bishop of Dalmatia kyr Nikodim, and Bishop of Remesiana kyr Stefan, as well as clergy, monastics, and the devout faithful people. Dr. Vladimir Roganović – Director of the Administration for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities, also attended the service.

After the doxology, Bishop Kirilo welcomed Patriarch Porfirije and emphasized:

– Your Holiness, today we joyfully cry out to you: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Welcome to the Church of Saint Sava. Argentina and these regions, with their many mountains, rivers, and oceans, have awaited for a long time, more than eight centuries, the first visit of the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, whom we welcome as a bearer and guardian of the fullness of Christ's true teachings, a bearer of the patristic tradition, a servant and witness of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, a herald, and a bearer of the grace of the Holy Spirit and eternal life in the Holy Trinity. The end of the 20^th century and the beginning of the 21^st brought to these blessed lands a great servant of the Lord Metropolitan Amfilohije, under whose initiative the Holy Assembly of Bishops of our Church established the new Diocese of Buenos Aires and South and Central America in 2011. Today, we have a mission not only in Argentina but also in Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Saint Martin. We orally and in writing proclaim Christ's teachings, the Orthodox faith, as well as the history of our Holy Church and our people in Spanish and Portuguese languages, as evidenced by numerous book publications and magazines in these languages. Representatives from all mentioned parishes have come to greet you and receive your blessing. Among them are not only Serbs or people of our descent but also Argentinians, Brazilians, Costa Ricans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Colombians, Incas... And all of them are spiritual children of the Orthodox faith under the protection of our Holy Church of Saint Sava.

Patriarch Porfirije then delivered a sermon:

– Dear brother and concelebrant, Bishop Kirilo, dear brothers and sisters, we are delighted to be here with you today in the blessed city of Buenos Aires and the blessed land of Argentina. Here, in Argentina and throughout South America, our prayers and our faith will modestly contribute to both the people and the country where you live, and you will leave our small imprint, enriching the space, culture, and spirituality of the people who have warmly welcomed you. Most importantly, in doing so, we will testify that the Church of Christ, the Orthodox Church, and the Church of Saint Sava are open to every living soul.

I am pleased to be here with you, and, thanking you for everything you do, once again, I ask that you pray for all the people of the world, for peace in the world, a peace that is currently endangered throughout our planet. Pray to God that the Lord extends His right hand, especially to Ukraine, bringing peace there, and particularly in these days to Palestine and Israel. May God open the spiritual eyes of those who have power in their hands to hear the truth that every person is the icon of God, and all people are created to be brothers, called to know God and enter the kingdom of God. I ask you to pray for our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as for all the people living there, that peace may come there, that the Lord helps foster greater understanding among people, that people in these places and every place understand that they need each other, and that there is room on earth for every man, for every living soul. We just need to open our souls and hearts to the Lord, and the Lord will show us the right path.

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His Holiness the Patriarch was festively welcomed by Hegumenia Marija, Protopresbyter Stefan Jovanović, Archimandrite Evstatije from the parish of the Holy Trinity under construction in the Dominican Republic, Protosyncellus Simeon from the parish of the Holy Trinity in Medellin, Colombia, Protopresbyter Ignatius Miranda and his wife Dorothea from the parish of the Theotokos of Vladimir and of Saint Peter of Cetinje in Costa Rica, Archimandrite Demetrious from the Antiochian Archdiocese, faithful from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Antiochian Patriarchate, as well as the youngest religious education students who presented Patriarch Porfirije with a flag featuring icons of Saint Seraphim of Sarov and Saint Porfirije of Kafsokalyvia, which they crafted together with their catechists Pilar, Leonardo, and Carolina.