PATRIARCH PORFIRIJE: CHURCH IS HEART OF CITY, AND FAITH FOUNDATION OF EVERY GATHERING

PALE, SEPTEMBER 25 /SRNA/ - His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije told the faithful in Pale that they are all part of a community united by Christ’s love, the Orthodox faith and their belonging to the Serb people.

Following a doxology at the Church of the Assembly of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, the Patriarch said there was no journey dearer to him than a journey to Republika Srpska, because wherever he goes, he encounters the love, support, prayers, and brotherhood of Orthodox believers.

He stressed that travelling to Republika Srpska is always especially meaningful to him because his ancestors came from that area.

The Patriarch said it was a particular joy to see the faithful gathered this evening for the consecration of the Church of the Assembly of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, which was built on the foundation laid by the late Metropolitan Nikolaj and constructed through the faith and efforts of the faithful.

Patriarch Porfirije said that the church should be the heart of the city and a place where the faithful will come knowing that they need God, that He loves them, and that they are called to be open to God’s love as well as to one another.

“We know that we built this church not merely for it to be beautiful and magnificent, but to be a place where you will gather, be baptized, get married, celebrate the Divine Liturgy and receive Holy Communion, partaking of the body and blood of Christ,” the Patriarch said.

He added that he would consecrate the church tomorrow, knowing that the beginning of its construction is not the laying of the foundations, the building of the walls or the placing of the dome, but faith in God, without whom we cannot live.

According to him, throughout history, the Serb people consciously embraced Christ, knowing that this path entails suffering and the cross, and that faith represents a force that brings the people together and preserves them through the passage of time.

“Faith is the foundation that binds people together, because when God is with them, they cannot live without one another, let alone stand against one another,” the Patriarch concluded.

His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch was welcomed by His Eminence Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosnia in the presence of a large number of faithful.

The church will be consecrated tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., followed by the celebration of the Divine Hierarchical Liturgy.