METROPOLITAN ANDREJ: DO NOT FORGET SAINTS, SUCH AS SAINT THECLA THE PROTOMARTYR

SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 7 /SRNA/ - His Eminence Metropolitan Andrej of Switzerland, Italy and Malta said today in Sarajevo that the great saints, such as Saint Thecla the Protomartyr, must never be forgotten, because the foundations on which the future and life are built must be strong enough to withstand crises.

In his sermon following the Divine Liturgy at the Old Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Archangels in Baščaršija, Metropolitan Andrej said that Saint Thecla the Protomartyr is called "Equal-to-the-Apostles" because she was a follower of the holy apostles and, above all, the Lord Jesus Christ. He added that she, together with other women, played an enormous role, showing that even in those times the Savior's work could not be carried out without women.

"This is clearly evident from all four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which tell us that there were myrrh-bearing women and many women who followed the Lord Jesus Christ," Metropolitan Andrej said during the celebration of the feast of Saint Thecla the Protomartyr at the Old Church, where her right hand is kept.

The central questions that can be raised in modern times, the Metropolitan said, are whether Christianity advanced or hindered the emancipation of women, and whether women have faced discrimination throughout history.

"In our Orthodox Church, there can be no question of either advancing or hindering /women's emancipation/. Rather, the roles were clearly divided, and it was known what the work and duties of the apostles were, what the work and duties of the heads of households were, and what the work and duties of the women and the group of sisters who gathered around the apostles and the Lord Jesus Christ were," Metropolitan Andrej said.

Metropolitan Andrej reminded that Metropolitan Sava Kosanović of Sarajevo was a great devotee of Saint Thecla and that he brought a written account of her life and part of her relics from Russia.

Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar and Bosnia emphasized that the Serb people in Sarajevo live under particular circumstances, and that even in the most difficult times they continued to visit the holy church, pray to God, and seek the blessing of Saint Thecla.

The Metropolitan of Dabar and Bosnia emphasized that Saint Thecla the Protomartyr was a missionary, as is Metropolitan Andrej, who celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in Sarajevo today.

"May God strengthen you, and thank you for responding to the invitation, both to strengthen us and to receive a little strength from us as well!" Metropolitan Hrizostom said.

A Divine Liturgy was celebrated today at the Old Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Archangels in Sarajevo on the occasion of the feast of Saint Thecla, whose right hand is kept in the church. The sponsor of this year's Slava /Patron Saint's Day/ is Ljubiša Ćosić, Mayor of Istočno Sarajevo.

The commemoration was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac, representatives of the Embassy of Serbia in BiH, and a large number of worshippers.

Following the liturgy, the traditional Slava bread was cut, followed by a procession around the church during which the relics of the great saint were carried.

Saint Thecla lived during the time of Saint Paul the Apostle and assisted him in preaching the Gospel of Christ.

She affirmed the Gospel and her preaching through a martyr's death, which is why she is called a Great Martyr as well as Equal-to-the-Apostles.

The right hand of Saint Thecla the Protomartyr was brought from Antioch to Serbia by Saint Sava, the first Serbian archbishop, in 1233. In 1733, Serbian Patriarch Arsenije IV /Jovanović/ presented this sacred relic to the Old Orthodox Church in Sarajevo.

In 1873, Metropolitan Sava Kosanović of Dabar and Bosnia took her holy right hand to Russia, where a pearl glove with a bracelet was made for it.

The Old Church in Sarajevo's Baščaršija was built in the 14th century and, eight centuries ago, became part of the then Diocese of Dabar, founded by Saint Sava. It has maintained this continuity uninterrupted to the present day, when it operates as part of the Metropolitanate of Dabar and Bosnia of the Serbian Orthodox Church /SPC/.

It has been declared a national monument of BiH and is the oldest and one of the most valuable cultural and historical monuments in Sarajevo.

The Old Church is known for its exceptional and unique architecture. The church itself houses an iconostasis of outstanding artistic value, while its treasury contains old and valuable relics renowned throughout the art world and the Christian world.