Serbian Patriarch visited Jasenovac in Croatia
On the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs of Jasenovac, Serbian Patriarch Porfiry served a liturgy in Jasenovac itself, a former Ustashe concentration camp where thousands of Serbs, as well as Jews, Gypsies and Croatian anti-fascists were killed.
The patriarchal liturgy took place in the restored 18th-century monastery of John the Baptist, which was turned by the Ustasha into part of a concentration camp complex in the 40s, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
During the sermon, Patriarch Porfiry once again made it clear to slanderers and enemies of the Serbian Orthodox Church that it is not involved in politics and loves all people, regardless of nationality.
“I am the same Porfiry as the one who came to Zagreb seven years ago (the Patriarch was previously the Metropolitan of Zagreb - ed.), as always, and the one who, with the help of God, is called to remain so forever,” said the Patriarch of Serbia. – Porfiry, who openly loves Zagreb and who openly loves Croatia, all the people of Croatia...
We absolutely respect every state, we do not allow ourselves to challenge someone’s right to be themselves, we absolutely respect everyone and support everyone’s right to be who they are and not hide it from anyone. But no one has the right to interfere with our existence. The SOC does not object to any group of people being organized as a community of prayer, but no such community has the right to prevent the existence of the SOC.”
The last words were spoken by the patriarch both in relation to recent of events in Cetinje, and regarding the negative campaign that began in some Croatian media in connection with his arrival in Jasenovac.
“The church has its own structure, so it is not any political organization, it does not coincide with any political interests and goals, or with any state goals. Because the Church is above the limits of time and space. The Church is the body of Christ, we do not come to church to be more Serbs, and I am deeply convinced that no one goes to church to be more Croats, Hungarians, Germans or Italians.
But the SOC is an autocephalous church, which has its own canonical jurisdiction, recognized by all other canonical Orthodox churches. This jurisdiction of ours does not depend on external circumstances, state, political and any other borders, it cannot change its borders and canonical jurisdiction on the basis of any external pressure, does not depend on external political circumstances, nor on the will of people, no matter who they are were and no matter what they thought about themselves, having power and strength,” the patriarch noted.
Also, the head of the SOC called Jasenovac the place where God was betrayed and the entire human race was disgraced, but that God paradoxically appointed it for the monastery, from where prayer for the entire human race and the world comes around the clock.
“Eighty years ago, the most terrible, unimaginable crimes were committed here, committed against innocent people of the Serbian, Jewish and Gypsy peoples, as well as the Croatian people. Of course, people of the Orthodox faith suffered the most, and everything that the villains did was done on the basis of the law of that time.
However, the logic of God is different from the logic of man - the very place where great disasters and innocent people suffer, the Lord turns into a holy place, a place of prayer, and for this reason we have never gathered here to deal with numbers, mathematics, proving who is who caused more harm. It is for this reason that for Christians this is, first of all, a place of prayer,” noted Patriarch Porfiry.
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