The feast-day of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God, the 14th of October, 2018, was solemnly celebrated with the Holy Liturgy in the crypt of the Memorial Cathedral of Saint Sava in the Vracar district of the Serbian capital city, officiated by the Primates of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Antioch: His Beatitude Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, and His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All-East.
After the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All East was awarded with the highest distinction of the Serbian Orthodox Church – the Order of Saint Sava of the First Degree, reports spc.rs.
The archhierarchs were concelebrated by His Beatitude Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje; Their Eminences Metropolitans Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana, Basilios of Akkar, Joseph of New York and North America and His Grace Bishop Jovan of Sumadija, in the prayerful presence of Their Graces Bishops Irinej of Backa, Pahomije of Vranje, Milutin of Valjevo, David of Stobi, Isihije of Mohacs and Stefan of Remesiana, Vicar of the Serbian Patriarch and the dean of the Saint Sava Cathedral.
Many priests also concelebrated to the Primates, while the choir of the Saint Sava Cathedral, of the students of the Faculty of the Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade and the choir Mojsije Petrovic sang responses during the Liturgy.
The Divine Liturgy, in addition to a greta number of the faithful, was also attended by Director of the Office for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities of the Government of the Republic of Serbia Dr. Mileta Radojevic, Ambassadors of Syria Mr. Ousman Saab, of Lebanon Mrs. Nada Al and of Greece Mr. Elias Eliadis, high representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, the Islamic Community of Serbia, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the University in Belgrade and the Church educational institutions.
Photo Credit: Serbian Patriarchate
