"It is a joy for us that we can be together with you in the Presidency of the Republic of Serbia, which we really do not feel like our house, but we feel that it is our house. On the one hand, we feel the need to express that everything that is done here for the good of our people, wherever they live, for the good of Serbia, has our support," said Patriarch Porfirije in his speech during yesterday's visit to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, at the General Secretariat at Andrić's wreath.
"Wherever we wish good for our people, that implies good for all those who are with them," said the patriarch, whose speech at the table with the President of Serbia as a whole, was forwarded to the media, and was also published on the SPC website along with photos from the ceremonial lunch.
Addressing Vučić as "Dear Mr. President, Blessed", the Serbian Patriarch pointed out that "the Church knows what faith in God is, but also that man, in addition to all the other needs he has, is first of all a being who needs a metaphysical foundation of his existence ".
Porphyry, paraphrasing the physicist Albert Einstein, also said that "without the question of faith, without God, it is not only difficult for man to live, but it is also impossible."
And further: "All of us from the Church have publicly stated more than once what we consider to be important." The fact is that it is very important to fight in every field of life of a nation and state, such as the economy, security... to look for solutions to the various challenges we face in the field of social, psychological, political and all other challenges".
So he assessed that "if the space of faith remains empty as a fundamental one, then all these other spaces, no matter how successful they are or how much more or less successfully they cover our needs, remain at the very least or at best short-term".
About a great tragedy
"These days we have faced a great tragedy in our nation. After this meeting of ours and this table of love, I will go to the funeral of Angelina, who passed away as the tenth victim of a massacre committed by a boy," Porfirius said, stating that "everyone is trying to understand this problem: why did what happened happen? "
"Of course, many in this attempt, at all costs, look for someone responsible outside of themselves, accusing someone else, whoever that person is, of being responsible for what happened." It's as if we are not one organism," said the patriarch.
Recalling his statement that "everyone is responsible", he said that he is the first responsible, but that he will not analyze what that means, because he thinks "about the world, about man and about himself in the spirit of the Gospel".
Ask the priests
The patriarch said that he found it "interesting that psychologists and sociologists and experts of various profiles were invited to all possible media outlets to say what they think about it, why, how and who is to blame, except in only a few cases on smaller media where two priests were invited".
All those "sociological, psychological, philosophical and various other attempts" looked to him, as he said, on small screens "as if someone looking at a rough sea sees waves and trying to define the waves wants to explain the depth of the sea".
"And that's why it's very important, and we've talked about it before, to return the issue of religious education to its initial position, the way it was at least when it was introduced and returned to schools, so that it wouldn't happen that due to great trials and the challenges we are facing will miss the concern for the essence of who we are," said Porphyry.
Thank you, President
He thanked Vučić for his engagement, which shows that he understands "the needs of his people, which are also the needs of our Church."
"Thank you for this call and I'm sorry that I may have held your attention for a minute longer." The question of all questions, or the most important question at this moment for our Orthodox people, is the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, and we have devoted the most time to this issue so far in the holding of this Parliament," said Porfirije at the lunch arranged for him and the bishops by the President of Serbia.
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