Believers at the Patriarchate of Pec: The Patriarch’s arrival magnificent, we hope there will be more and more of us

For the faithful who attended the Easter liturgy today at the Patriarchate of Pec, the arrival of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije represents a magnificent moment. They emphasize that it means a great deal to them when the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church is in his home in Pec. The liturgy was also attended by Milena Parlic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, who extended holiday greetings to the faithful and expressed her wish that Christ’s Resurrection grant them strength to persevere.

Darko Kolasinac from Gorazdevac said that Serbs today feel pride.

“Resurrection in itself signifies new hope, and for Serbs—especially in Metohija, who live in enclaves and as a minority—when the Patriarch comes, they perceive it as something magnificent. The very fact that the Patriarch is in Pec, in the Patriarchate of Pec, in his own home, means a great deal to us. That his throne is here is a great honor and great pride for us,” said Kolasinac.

Miljan Srbljak expressed hope that, year after year, Serbs will welcome the Patriarch in ever greater numbers.

“You can see for yourselves how beautifully we have all gathered here to celebrate our holiday on this holy land of Metohija, and we hope that each year will be better and more beautiful, and that we will be here in ever greater numbers,” said Srbljak.

Senka Petrovic from Gorazdevac briefly stated: “May all people in the world be healthy and happy.”

Milenko Dakic also said that the Patriarch’s presence is a great joy for Serbs living in Kosovo.

“There are few of us, and each day there are fewer and fewer, which is sad, but what can you do…,” he said.

Zoran Asanin from Ljevosa, a village near the Patriarchate of Pec, said that the Patriarch has come to his own home.

“His predecessors were always here; their holy relics are here. I know that our Patriarch is exposed to terrible insults, but so too was our former great Patriarch Pavle persecuted and mistreated in Kosovo. Therefore, the current Patriarch should rise above it, endure everything, and then he will be great. May his coming here always be a blessing, both for us and for him,” said Asanin.

Milena Parlic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, who attended the liturgy at the Patriarchate of Pec, congratulated the faithful on the holiday, expressing her wish that Christ’s Resurrection grant the people strength to persevere.

“May we remain beacons and bearers of light, bearers of faith—this kind of light and this kind of faith that we witness not only at the Patriarchate of Pec, but in all Serbian monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija,” Parlic stated.

She noted the great joy of the faithful due to the Patriarch’s arrival.

“At the Serbian Patriarchate, on the land of crucifixion but also the land of resurrection, it seems that we have never more powerfully borne witness to the triumph of life over death—how faith and love are stronger than both hatred and various trials and persecution. The greatest joy for the people is the Patriarch’s arrival, who has gathered us and who always brings us together in faith and love, in unity, in the strength of brotherhood and sisterhood of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren, the faithful people, and our Church, which has been persecuted and suffered throughout the centuries, but has also risen throughout the centuries,” said Parlic.

Following the liturgy, Patriarch Porfirije told those gathered that by believing in God, we too are resurrected with Him, and that by loving Him, we understand that we must love all people—those close to us, who understand us, as well as those who do not understand us, do not accept us, and sometimes reject us.