Patriarch, defense minister mark Holiday
Irinej and Šutanovac in Niš on Monday
NIŠ — Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Irinej and Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac attended Vidovdan (St. Vitus Day) ceremonies in Niš on Monday.
Irinej was quoted as saying that the Serbian people can defend Kosovo through unity and readiness to save this holy Serbian territory in the best way possible.
“I trust that those who hold the faith of the world in their hands will be aware of Kosovo’s significance to Serbian culture and history,” Patriarch Irinej said at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the southern town.
On Monday, the SPC and the Serbian people marked the religious and national holiday of Vidovdan, which coincides with the anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, when Serbs fought to defend their lands and Christianity from the invading Ottoman Empire.
“As long as there are Serb holy sites in Kosovo, it will not be lost,” the patriarch said, expressing belief that there was room in Kosovo for everyone who wants to live in peace, love and understanding and without egotism.
The patriarch pointed to the importance of the Battle of Kosovo, and said that Vidovdan should be seen a day of a moral and spiritual triumph, liberty, unity and love.
