Serbian Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox Church Abroad Strengthen Ties

OCP News Service – 16/06/2024

Belgrade-Serbia: In a historic meeting on June 14, 2024, the Holy Synods of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad convened in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia. The gathering aimed to solidify the long-standing fraternal bond between the two churches.

The event followed a week of festivities in Belgrade. On June 13th, His Holiness Patriarch Porfiry of Serbia led the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Ascension, joined by hierarchs from both Churches. A prayer procession through Belgrade’s streets, despite pouring rain, attracted tens of thousands of faithful.

Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, leading the delegation from the Russian Church Abroad, delivered a heartfelt speech highlighting the historical and spiritual ties between the two Churches. He recalled the support offered by the Serbian Church to Russians displaced during the revolution, and the deep respect for figures like Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) and St. Justin of Chelia.

Metropolitan Nicholas emphasized the shared faith, aspirations, and struggles of the two Churches. He expressed a desire to further strengthen unity and communion “in the podvig of love” – the act of striving for love.

As a token of appreciation, Metropolitan Nicholas presented Patriarch Porfiry with the highest award of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad – the Synodal Order of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. Additionally, an icon and a jubilee panagia were offered as a memento of the historic meeting.

Source:

OCP News Services