The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, arrived on a two-day visit to Mostar. The occasion is the marking of the 150th birthday of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, whose restoration is still ongoing today. He was welcomed by Bishop Dimitrije of Zahum-Herzegovina, Abbot Danilo and numerous others. At the beginning of the visit, he visited the Žitomislić monastery and the Church of Christ’s Resurrection in Prebilovci, and also met with the mayor of Mostar, Mario Kordić.
“For every Orthodox person, it is a blessing to come to Herzegovina. And there is no one who came here, to this brightest pearl that is the Žitomislić Monastery, without returning with consolation. We live the secret of victory and the future, here and now. For every leader above all, it is a joy and a blessing to come to this region and visit these holy places. Especially the monastery. There is a safe perspective here. This holy place has been a place of prayer and gathering throughout the ages, but it also shared its fate with its people. It was destroyed and burned , but also raised again, as if from the ashes. Our neighbors are all people, and we should love them as our own. The monastery is a place of prayer and love,” said Porfirije.
Then he briefly stood in front of media representatives.
“It is a great blessing for us to come to Herzegovina, to pray to God with our Serb brothers, for inner peace in each of us, in families, in the nation and peace among all people,” he said in a short statement.
After the Žitomislić Monastery, His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije visited Prebilovci, where he said that we should pray that what the martyrs of Prebilovce and All-Herzegovina experienced would never happen to anyone.
Serbian Patriarch Porfirije continued his visit to Mostar with a reception in the City Hall of the City of Mostar. On Saturday, Patriarch Porfirije was welcomed by the Mayor of the City of Mostar, Mario Kordić, and the Chairman of the City Council, Salem Marić. Amir Gross Kabiri also attended the meeting as a representative of the Jewish community.
Tomorrow morning, Porphyry will serve the liturgy in the Cathedral, after which he will appear at the donor’s lunch for the restoration of the temple.
