Enthronement of Serbian Patriarch Prepared

2/10/2010

BELGRADE — Preparations for the ceremony of inauguration of Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Irinej in Kosovo are in their final stage.

It seems almost certain that Serbian President Boris Tadić will not be the only politician at the ceremony. Leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) Tomislav Nikolić and former Serbian Parliament Speaker Predrag Marković confirmed their attendance.

Bishop Porfirije explained to B92 that, regardless of the security challenges in Kosovo, Peć Patriarchate remains the spiritual and administrative center of the Serbian Church.

Bishop Porfirije added that everything was done to go through with the enthronement without the politicization or incidents.

Answering the question whether it had ever occurred to him, in the past two decades of Kosovo tensions, that the enthronement ceremony should be performed elsewhere, bishop Porfirije said that it in order to understand the event properly, one should bear in mind that the Church as an organization did not follow the politics and political events, especially because they were often elusive and one thing might be true today, but different tomorrow.

“Since the times of St.Sava (1217) and up to this date, the Patriarchate of Peć has been the seat of Serbian patriarchs and I have never heard someone mentioning that it would be good to move the throne of the patriarch. Peć is still the throne of Serbian patriarchs and Kosovo has primarily a spiritual significance for us,” he added.

Asked if he was convinced that the cooperation with KFOR and local authorities would be successful in preventing incidents, bishop Porfirije said he was sure of it and that thus far it seemed the cooperation would be good and without issues, with great understanding thanks to the full awareness of the Church about where the event would take place, with all necessary precautions taken.

“This is especially true because the enthronement will be attended mostly by the faithful, organized by their priests who know the people who have registered, and as far as we know there are no suspicious persons who could make an accidental or intentional provocation”, bishop Porfirije concluded.

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