Patriarch Porfirije: We pray for all the innocent victims; if the spiral of evil starts again, we are all losers

A state ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the beginning of the NATO bombing is underway at St. George Square in Sombor, and Serbian Patriarch Porfirije held a memorial service for all the victims.

The commemoration will be attended by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, the President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, the Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic with ministers, representatives of the provincial government, families and descendants of the victims...

The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, said that the NATO aggression had been "the most disproportionate conflict since the beginning of the century."

"In these same early evening hours, the first bomb fell. We all know when the first destruction of our beloved homeland, our nature, our property, and our lives began. The first Serb named Radovan Medic was killed, the first of thousands killed and wounded in this aggression. We remind ourselves and others that our nation, but also the whole world, needs peace and mutual understanding most of all, the awareness that there is a place for every living soul under heaven's cap and for every nation to organize its life as it sees fit," the patriarch said.

He added that there was now a military conflict going on in Europe that threatened to drag the whole world into its vortex.

"We pray that wherever there is a war, the weapons that sow death and shed innocent blood will stop," the patriarch said.

He pointed out that some people today, as he said, would push the Serbs into conflicts, both among themselves and with others.

"Others, on the other hand, do not understand that the Christian God is a God of love and peace and that the church lives and witnesses peace. They demand that the church, with its positions and statements, cover those who would push us into mutual misunderstandings, wars, and conflicts." the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church said.

He said that we should all pray and fight so that our sufferings were not repeated to us or anyone else.

"Let's persevere on the path of all talks and negotiations, and dialogue that aims at even elementary mutual understanding between people, but let's not accept ultimatums and blackmail at any cost. Ultimatums and blackmail imply giving away yourself and yours and renouncing yourself and yours. At the same time, let's do our best to stay last at the table where a solution is sought, which will preserve peace, both for us and for everyone around us together with us," the Serbian patriarch said.

He warned that without a doubt if the spiral of evil started here again, we would all be big losers.

"We pray for all the innocent victims, for our compatriots, brothers, and sisters. May God have mercy on their souls and give them eternal peace and all those who suffered in God's justice during the NATO aggression against the Serbs," Patriarch Porfirije said.