On the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint’s day of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije, a divine hierarchal Liturgy was served at the Cathedral Church of Saint Archangel Michael in Belgrade, presided over by the Patriarch.

Concelebrating with His Holiness there were Most Reverend Hierarchs: Bishop Ignatije of Braničevo, Bishop Teodosije of Raška-Prizren, Bishop Arsenije of Niš, Bishop Kirilo of Buenos Aires and South and Central America, who also administers the Metropolitanate of Zagreb-Ljubljana, Bishop Nikodim of Dalmatia, Bishop Jerotej of Šabac, Bishop Aleksej of Hvosno, and Bishop Nektarije of Jegar.

Among the clerics who also officiated, there were: Archimandrite Nektarije – Acting Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops, Archimandrite Danilo, Director of the Patriarchal Administrative Office, Archimandrite Sevastijan – Hegumen of the Krka Monastery, Protosyncellus Hariton – Hegumen of the Kovilj Monastery; as well as Protopresbyter Đorđe Stojisavljević, Acting Head of the Office of the Serbian Patriarch; Protopresbyter Lazar Manigoda – retired priest of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci; and Deacons Dragan Radić, Radomir Vrućinić, Vladan Tatalović, Nikolaj Vuković, and Petar Kozakijević.

After the reading of the Holy Gospel and with the blessing of His Holiness, His Grace Bishop of Braničevo kyr Ignatije delivered the festive sermon, and, on behalf of all the gathered people, congratulated the First Hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church on the occasion of his patron saint’s day:

– Your Holiness, Most Reverend Hierarchs, dear fathers, dear brothers and sisters.

On behalf of all of us and in my personal name, I extend congratulations to His Holiness on his patron saint’s day – the feast of Saint John the Baptist, with prayerful wishes that Saint John intercedes before the Lord, that the Lord may grant many years of life to our dear Patriarch, so that we may jointly glorify the Lord, praising His saints.

Especially in these times, it is crucial that the Lord strengthens His Holiness for the service he carries, the service he has. The most important service, above all and among others, is the service of preserving and maintaining the unity of the Church. Primarily as a diocesan hierarch, His Holiness, through baptism and ordination, brings the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is the spirit of community, and since the gifts of the Holy Spirit build the Church, multitude of those who dwell in the Lord Christ build the body of Christ –the liturgical community – with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Community is very important because man is a being of community, and therefore the Lord says: Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them! (Matthew 18:20). Let us also remember the old Latin saying: Unus Christianus, nullus Christianus! A Christian cannot be alone; he must belong to a community. His Holiness, our Patriarch, maintains that community and unity at the local, patriarchal level, through the community of our dioceses. Each diocese is a full Church led by its bishop, but all dioceses must be united. The Patriarch maintains unity because man is the icon of God, and the Church is God's Church. In this way, both man and the Church exist in a divine way. We believe in one God, who is the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are not three gods but one God. God creates unity, and the existence of each person depends on the community. The Father is the father because he is in community with the Son, the Son is the son because he is in relative community with God, God the Father, for if there is no son, there is no father.

Unfortunately, the time in which we live disrupts every community. The modern man thinks that he is self-sufficient. The contemporary man does not believe that he exists with others and that he needs another to exist. Moreover, the modern man considers others as enemies. A contemporary philosopher says: Hell is other people, and in another place, he says: Other is my original sin. So, we live in a time where people establish a community with others through utilitarianism – if there is no benefit, there is no community. The modern man lacks the understanding that he cannot exist alone. That's why marriages end. That's why states fall apart. Man wants to be alone. Stories about the unification of Europe are stories of interest because, unfortunately, if there is no interest, there is no community. That is our time, but if we look at others a little differently, when we love one another, when we love one soul, we cannot imagine our life without them. If that other person leaves, we lose ourselves. This shows, brothers and sisters, that every person is the icon of God, a being of community. Today, we must emphasize in the Church that none of us can be a person, a Christian, and a child of God if they do not belong to a community. This community here is the icon of the future Kingdom, true existence, as Saint Maximus the Confessor says: The Old Testament is sacred, the New Testament is an icon, and the future Kingdom is the truth. Such Christianity brings a new perspective. Some think that everything is finished at the beginning and that it is the truth; however, that is contrary to Christianity. We say: As time passes, we are closer to the Truth, closer to the Kingdom of God that we await.

Once again, we offer prayerful wishes that the Lord gives strength to His Holiness, the First Hierarch of our Serbian Orthodox Church, in the unity of our Church, but also gives him strength to work towards the unity of the universal Church. Unfortunately, the influence of the modern world is present in this matter. We Orthodox have also started to separate. We have started to separate without listening to Saint Apostle Paul who says: In the Church, before God, there is no longer Jew or Greek... we are all one in the Lord (cf. Galatians 3:28). I wish you all a blessed feast day, and may today's gathering and celebration be an incentive to His Holiness!

At the festive Liturgy, His Holiness awarded Protopresbyter Lazar Manigoda, retired parish priest of the Holy Trinity Church in Zemun and Dean of the chapel of the Presentation of the Lord at the Institute for Mother and Child Health Care of Serbia Dr. Vukan Čupić, with the right of wearing the pectoral cross.

At the end of the divine hierarchal Liturgy, His Holiness thanked everyone present with the following words:

– Blessed be today's holiday, and may the feast of Saint John, the Forerunner and Baptist, be joyful for all those celebrating today. Brethren hierarchs, thank you for coming today to serve the Holy Liturgy together. Thanks to Bishop Ignatije for the sermon, for the words of consolation, as we say in the language of the Church, for theological and spiritual words. May God grant joy, fullness of life, beauty, health, harmony, and love to all through the prayers of Saint John. May God grant you many years!

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After the divine hierarchal Liturgy, His Grace Bishop of Šumadija kyr Jovan consecrated the festive bread at the Patriarchal See, congratulating the host, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, on his patron saint’s day. In addition to the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church and clergy, the solemn event was attended by the President of the Republic of Serbia Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, the President of the Republic of Srpska Mr. Milorad Dodik, Prince Filip Karađorđević, Archbishop of Belgrade Monsignor Ladislav Nemet, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veterans, and Social Affairs Mr. Nikola Selaković, Director of the Administration for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities Dr. Vladimir Roganović, Dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade Prof. Dr. Zoran Ranković, representatives of state and city authorities, representatives of public, cultural, and economic institutions.

Particularly dear guests of the Patriarch were children from Orahovac, Velika Hoča, Goraždevac, and Kosovo Pomoravlje, with whom His Holiness Mr. Porfirije spent time on the second day of celebration of his patron saint’s day at the church of Saint Sava in Belgrade.