10.03.2023.
Patriarch Porfirije presents Serbian Armed Forces Guard with icons painted at Kovilj Monastery
Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, attended a ceremony in which two icons were presented to the Serbian Armed Forces Guard by the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, who gave them his blessing. The icons of St. George and St. Stefan the Despot of Serbia, painted at the Kovilj Monastery, now belong to the place of worship of the Serbian Armed Forces Guard.
Minister Vučević said that this was an important day for members of the Guard, for the Serbian Armed Forces and for the Ministry of Defence.- Together with the Chief of the General Staff, the Guard Commander and the Gguardsmen, I was given the great privilege of accepting two gifts from the monks of the Kovilj monastery – the icons of St. George and St. Stefan the Despot of Serbia. This is a symbolic act, showing the link and sending a strong message about something that we desperately need, particularly in these times – the unity between the state and the church, the people, the unity between the military and the church, said the Minister of Defence.
He said that in his conversation with the patriarch, it was stressed that the Ministry of Defence, the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff and the Serbian Orthodox Church would organize a special ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the reinstatement of chaplaincy in our barracks and military facilities.
- We think that this unity is a natural course of things. It was interrupted in an unnatural way a few decades ago, and it is now assuming the shape that it should have and that derives from the nature and being of our people and our state, our church and our military. The two institutions - the church and the military, along with the president, enjoy the greatest support of the people, and when they are united, our spirit and faith are unshakeable and indomitable, and our courage and determination tremendous, Minister Vučević said. He also said that other topics had been discussed with the patriarch, such as the position of military priests, better conditions for them and better organization of religious rites in military facilities.Patriarch Porfirije said that cooperation with the Serbian Armed Forces had existed since 2001, with regard to the establishment of chaplaincy in the military.
- I am moved today, because I am at the Serbian Armed Forces’ premises that are close and familiar to me, because in 2001 the Holy Synod of our church gave me the blessing to establish cooperation with the Serbian Armed Forces and reinstate chaplaincy where it rightfully belongs, the patriarch said.According to him, there is nothing more natural than for priests to be with their people.
- If anyone needs spiritual support, guidance and comfort, it is the military. That's why I am moved, because from the first moment in 2001 until 2014, I went through all the stages of cooperation between the military and the church, said Patriarch Porfirije.
Serbian Patriarch Porfirije said that the main task of the church was to make sure we were united.
- Each of us, depending on our roles, are doing the same job, which is the main task of the church – to make sure that we are united, that we are one, exclusively and only in good and virtue, and not to allow ourselves, regardless of the job we do, to be united in something that is contrary to the Gospel of Christ, Patriarch Porfirije said.
The Guard Commander, Brigadier General Nikola Dejanović, thanked for the donated icons on behalf of all members of the Guard, saying that they were gratefully accepted as a legacy bequeathed to all the future generations of Guardsmen and to all those who had made a vow and dedicated their lives to serving and defending our one and only homeland, the Republic of Serbia.
This was Patriarch Porfirije’s first visit to the Serbian Armed Forces Guard, which was an opportunity for members of the Guard to show the Guard's place of worship to the Serbian patriarch, and for the patriarch to visit the Guard’s memorial room, where he signed the memorial guest book.
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