Serbian Patriarch: The Jerusalem Patriarchate is the Mother of all Churches
Serbian and Jerusalem Patriarchs. Photo: Press service of the Jerusalem Church
On April 2, 2025, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije concelebrated the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts with Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem at the Holy Golgotha. Following the service, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church was awarded a high distinction – the Grand Cross of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, according to the website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Upon receiving the award, the Serbian Patriarch emphasized the special role of the Jerusalem Church in the Orthodox world:
“The Church of Jerusalem is the centre, the source, and the homeland of all Christians and all mankind throughout history, for it is the Mother of all Churches. Here, the Church was established, and it is not of this world, but is present and alive within us, through the divine Eucharist, by which we become united in the body and blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and together in Christ as brethren.”
The Primate of the Serbian Church also noted that the award expresses love for the Serbian people and the Serbian Church, and that he accepts it “as a memento of this sacred co-celebration and as a protector and blessing for us and the Serbian Church.”
Among those who concelebrated at the Liturgy were Metropolitan Kyriakos of Nazareth, Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolia, the Assistant Bishop of Toplica, His Grace Petar, the visiting Metropolitan of Tamasos, His Eminence Isaias, and Hieromonks from the Holy Sepulchre Brotherhood, among whom the first was Archimandrite Kamarasis Elder Nektarios, as well as other Hieromonks and priests accompanying the Patriarch of Serbia, including Archimandrite Vassianos, Head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem (MISSIA), Archdeacon Mark, and other deacons, with His Eminence Elder Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, also participating, alongside local faithful and devout pilgrims.
After the award ceremony, Patriarch Porfirije continued his pilgrimage through the Holy Land and visited the Tomb of the Theotokos in Gethsemane.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Serbia celebrated the Liturgy together at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
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