Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church San Gabriel, California
September 1, 2019
Your Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, Your Grace, Bishop Maxim, Beloved Brother Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, Beloved Faithful in the Lord,
I convey to all of you the heartfelt
greetings and blessings of His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew. The people of Serbia—and the Orthodox Church of Serbia—are
very dear to His All-Holiness. There has been a special bond of
brotherhood between the Serbian Orthodox and the Greek Orthodox
communities throughout these many years. On an occasion such as this,
the words of the Psalmist come immediately to mind (Psalm 132/133:1)—
Ιδοὺ δὴ τί καλὸν ἢ τί τερπνόν, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ τὸ κατοικεῖν ἀδελφοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό;
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!”
We rejoice in the long and close relationship between the Mother
Church of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Serbia. Over the
centuries, the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized the strength and
maturity of the Serbian churches. In light of this, the Church of
Constantinople granted the Church of Serbia first autonomy, and then
autocephaly. So it was that in the year 1219, in the cathedral of
Nicaea, Ecumenical Patriarch Manuel consecrated as the first Archbishop
of the Serbians a monk, whom we now know as Saint Sava the Enlightener.
The independence and maturity of the Church of Serbia have been
proven time and again through the centuries. A recent demonstration came
in 2016, at the Great and Holy Council of Crete. The Church of Serbia
honored her commitments to the Orthodox world, participating fully and
whole-heartedly in the work of that important Pan-Orthodox Council. His
All-Holiness extends grateful congratulations to His Beatitude,
Patriarch Irinej and to all the hierarchy of the Church of Serbia for
their brotherly dedication and faithfulness. Truly, it is good and
pleasant—and spiritually beneficial—for brethren to dwell together in
unity!
This unity has been manifested in many ways through the years. We
know that it is common for the people of Serbia to go to Greece for
their academic study, and likewise for the Greeks to enroll at the
universities of Serbia. The people of Greece and Serbia have
historically had strong diplomatic relationships as well. Many times
they have been brothers in arms, as during the revolution against the
Ottoman Empire, a revolution that restored freedom of religion to many
parts of the Balkans. More recently, the Hellenic Republic supported the
Serbian people in their conflicts and sufferings in the 1990s,
following the breakup of Yugoslavia. The bond of brotherhood between
Greeks and Serbs has been deep and genuine.
Over the past 800 years, the Serbian people have served the Lord
Jesus Christ bravely. Through many challenges and difficulties, the
Church of Serbia and her Patriarchs have fought the good faith, run the
race, and kept the faith pure and undefiled (cf. 2 Timothy 4:7). In this
world, better brothers and sisters can hardly be found than we have in
the Serbian people. We pray that our good God would be pleased to grant
us to “dwell together in unity” for many years to come, until the Lord
Himself returns.
Through the intercessions of the Most-Holy Mother of God, and of
Saint Sava the Enlightener of the Serbian people, and of all the saints:
May our brotherly love and cooperation continue and grow; for the glory
of God and for the building up of the Church.
May the Lord bless your celebrations this day and forever! Amen.