DODIK: WE HAVE SURVIVED THANKS TO OUR DEVOTION TO ORTHODOX FAITH

SRBAC, JULY 25 /SRNA/ – President Milorad Dodik has said today that the Serb people have a chance to survive and remain in these areas solely because of their devotion to the Orthodox faith.

Dodik stressed that the large number of believers at the Osovica Monastery near Srbac, where he attended the celebration of the feast of the Icon of the Three-Handed Mother of God today, demonstrates that the Serb people is dedicated to their faith.

"We need to devote ourselves even more to this. We do not have armed forces, nor anything else with which we could oppose those who are our enemies, except faith, which produces will, and will produces character," Dodik told the press.

He emphasized that attending the religious celebration at Osovica Monastery encourages people and fills them with positive energy.

"That is why it is important that we gather here, and I am very proud," Dodik said.

He thanked the monastery’s abbot, Metropolitan Jefrem, as well as the clergy and monastic community, who demonstrate the meaning of gathering and unity by organizing such celebrations.

Osovica Monastery near Srbac celebrated today the feast of the Icon of the Three-Handed Mother of God, the patron saint of this holy site.

The central part of the celebration was the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy served by His Eminence Metropolitan Jefrem of Banja Luka, followed by a procession around the church.

In addition to Dodik, participants in the procession included Republika Srpska Finance Minister Zora Vidović, Minister of Energy and Mining Petar Đokić, Russian Ambassador to BiH Igor Kalabukhov, representatives of Republika Srpska in joint institutions, and a large number of believers.

Osovica Monastery is one of the largest Orthodox religious sites in Republika Srpska.

Although no significant written records about the monastery have been preserved, historians believe that this holy site was founded by King Stefan Dragutin Nemanjić, ruler of Srem, Mačva, Usora, and Soli.

Since its founding in the 14th century, the monastery has been desecrated and destroyed, but also rebuilt, following and sharing the fate of the Serb people.

The monastery’s main church, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God, houses one of the greatest Serb religious treasures - the Icon of the Three-Handed Mother of God, which was a gift from Hilandar Monastery.

Two years ago, a Monument in Honour of the Mother was unveiled within the monastery complex. It was created by sculptor Vujadin Malešević at the initiative of Archimandrite Teofil, the monastery’s abbot.