Patriarch Porfirije: In Kosovo and Metohija, we are on our own, called to be brothers with Albanians

Photo: Tanjug/Rade Prelić

Patriarch Porfirije served the holy liturgy in the medieval Serbian Orthodox monastery of Gracanica on the occasion of Vidovdan (St. Vitus Day), gathering in prayer and worship to celebrate the Holy Prince Lazar, and delivered an address for spiritual support.

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"We are gathered today before this holy Gracanica, everyone is assembled here through the holy liturgy, prayer, the grace of God. When we come to Gracanica on this day, when we come at any moment, to Decani, the Patriarchate of Pec, whenever we are here in this place, brothers and sisters, images are created through us, but also the character from the story of the prodigal son, who was lost and then found himself, when we are in this place, no matter how far we are from this place, we know that wherever we have been, we moved away from this place, when we come here we return to ourselves, because this place of Kosovo and Metohija is the place of our birth, we originated here, we were born here," said the patriarch.

He stressed that without Gracanica, Vidovdan, without all the saints, we are not what we are.

"In Gracnica, Decani, Prizren, in the Patriarchate of Pec, we clearly see who we are, those are our eyes, Vidovdan is our eye, Holy Lazar is our ear, the saints of Kosovo and Metohija are our mind. Here, we understand our past, origin, but also our goal, why we were invited to this world," said the patriarch, RTS reported.

He called for peace and love with Albanians, with whom Serbs have lived together for centuries.

"We are invited to be brothers with Albanians because we live here with them. Only in community can we be on God's path, to all be needed by each other, that no one can do without the other, and it is important to understand that, because we have that experience in our past. Let's not allow others to teach us about that," Patriarch of Porfirije underlined.

After the liturgy in the Gracanica monastery, the patriarch will serve a memorial service for the Serbian heroes who died at Gazimestan during the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.

(Telegraf.rs)