22.11.2020.
Patriarch Irinej laid to rest
His Holiness Irinej, the 45th patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, was laid to rest today in the crypt of the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade.
The funeral was attended by the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić, Speaker of the National Assembly Ivica Dačić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, Serbian Government ministers, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, representatives of Republika Srpska, Montenegro, Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, diplomatic corps, religious communities in Serbia and from abroad and citizens.
On the occasion of the repose of Patriarch Irinej, His Eminence Metropolitan Hrisostom of Dabro-Bosnia, presided over the Holy Liturgy in the Church of St. Sava and His Grace Irinej, Bishop of Bačka, held a sermon.The President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić bid farewell to Patriarch Irinej pointing out that the Patriarch’s life had clear goals – God, love and Serbia, as well as the entire Serbian people wherever they live.
- Love was the basis of his entire faith, because he knew that faith and hope were not possible without love. His Serbia was exactly the one that he created himself – a peaceful Serbia, a Serbia that understands, gathers and triumphs through work and wisdom, a Serbia that cannot and does not need to hate – President Vučić said and added that “we were able to understand, forgive and love everyone as much as he did, and we were able to believe in Serbia and the Serbian unity no less than he did”.
As the President of Serbia emphasized, Patriarch Irinej left behind admirable legacy. He is to be credited with renewing the culture of remembrance.- Thanks primarily to him, we proudly talk about the heroes of Košare today, streets and boulevards are named after them and monuments are erected in their memory. We are not ashamed of them, as was the case until recently, but we are proud of their feats. With his blessing, we have been commemorating NATO aggression for six years and we are not afraid to tell the truth to the whole world. Patriarch Irinej blessed the eternal memory and Serbia and Republika Srpska’s joint annual commemoration, and with tears and deep sadness we commemorate the suffering of our people in Operation "Storm". More than anything else, he renewed the spirit of unity and togetherness of the Serbian people - the President of the Republic pointed out.
According to President Vučić, Patriarch Irinej was a “great patriarch”.
- The church and the people will need a lot of wisdom to preserve what he left us, but Serbia will stay on that course, gathered around Patriarch Irinej’s goals – emphasized President Vučić.
Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik, His Eminence Metropolitan Hrisostom of Dabro-Bosnia, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk and the principal of the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade, Archpriest-Staurophore Petar Lukic also bid farewell to Patriarch Irinej.Serbian Armed Forces’ guardsmen carried the coffin with the earthly remains of Patriarch Irinej to the crypt of the Church of St. Sava, the first patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church to be buried there.
Patriarch Irinej passed away on Friday in the Military Covid Hospital "Karaburma" in Belgrade as a result of Covid-19. Besides numerous benefits that he brought to the state of Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church, he was a great advocate and supporter of the initiative for the introduction of religious service in the Serbian Armed Forces in 2011. He often and happily met with members of the Serbian Armed Forces, especially on the occasion of important holidays and the consecration of places of worship in the commands, units and institutions of the Serbian Armed Forces.
