Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia focused on the theme of unity of the Serbian people, grounded in the Orthodox faith and life in Christ, in his address at the central ceremony for Serbian Unity, Freedom and National Flag Day, held on September 14, 2026, in Banja Luka.
The Patriarch of Serbia spoke about the historical and spiritual bonds of the Serbian people, emphasizing that their unity cannot rest solely on national, social, or other human characteristics, but has, as he stressed, a deeper foundation in the Orthodox faith, the Church, and the Gospel of Christ.
“This unity has one root, which is called the Orthodox faith, the Orthodox Church, the Gospel of Christ,” he said characteristically, making special reference to Saint Sava, the Holy Prince Lazar, and other prominent figures of the Serbian Orthodox tradition.
Patriarch Porfirije placed particular emphasis on the twofold commandment of love for God and neighbor, noting that unity with Christ cannot be separated from love, forgiveness, and acceptance of the other, even when that person is different.
At the same time, he noted that the Orthodox faith must not be confined to declarations and words, but must be expressed in daily life, in thought, in speech, and in one’s actions.
Concluding his address, the Patriarch of Serbia called on the faithful to build relationships and “bridges” with others “without fear, but also without imposition,” keeping faith in Christ as their point of reference.
“Let the Orthodox faith be our banner! Let our Orthodox Church be the place of our unity!” he stressed.
Read below the full address of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia:
God help us all!
Personally, I feel the Republika Srpska to be my own home. That is why I feel joy and a great blessing every time I come here, when I come to the land of my great-grandfathers, to the land of my grandfathers, to the land of my fathers, to the place of my origin, to the place to which I belong.
That is why, honored Serbian representative to the Presidency, Mr. President of the Republika Srpska, President of the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska, Prime Minister of the Government of the Republika Srpska, Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, ministers of the Government of Serbia, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Macedonia — I usually forget to mention you, but this time I do so especially — and all, according to rank and office, representatives of all the institutions of the Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbia, Your Grace, brothers and sisters, I truly feel today a great blessing, because we have gathered to show that we are one, that we are one people, that we have one faith, that we are one Church.
And we all know well that there are different and varied kinds of unity. There is economic unity, social unity, psychological unity, biological unity, religious unity, national unity… There are, then, various forms of unity and communion. But we know equally well that most forms of unity have a limited duration; they have their beginning and their end, and it often happens that many forms of unity and many alliances, over time, turn into their opposite, into their own contradiction.
Why does this happen? Because every unity that rests exclusively on human, anthropological values and parameters, however important a role or value it may have, however good it may be, cannot be permanent.
But, thank God, our people possess a timeless unity. Our people remain steady and unshaken, despite the many Scyllas and Charybdises through which they have passed, despite the many calamities, the storms and tempests that struck and swept through their course in history. And not only did they survive, but they were always truly creative, offering wondrous spiritual fruits, which constitute the mark by which we ourselves recognize who we are and by which others recognize us. They were, then, always creative, and, thank God, remain so to this day; and I am certain that until the end of history and of the age, this unity will not only be preserved, but will breathe with the full strength of its lungs.
And this happens because the unity of our people is not like other forms of unity, which rest on transient values. It happens because our unity has a deep root, has a solid foundation, upon which Saint Sava placed us, and which was confirmed by the Holy Prince Lazar and many holy martyrs and saints of our people. This unity has one root, which is called the Orthodox faith, the Orthodox Church, the Gospel of Christ. This root, this foundation, is eternal. It has neither beginning nor end. And its presence alone makes us, already here and now, partakers of eternity.
And the word of Christ has shaped us throughout the centuries. It is our name and our surname. The word of Christ is His very presence among us, and the Lord Christ Himself gave us the way, gave us guidance, gave us commandments… These commandments are guiding paths, not prohibitions, and this is best shown in the greatest and most important commandment left to us by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, in the twofold yet unified commandment of love, which says: Love God with your whole being, with your whole mind, heart, and soul. And the second is: love your neighbor as yourself.
And it is no accident that the Lord first gave us the commandment to believe in Him and to love Him, and only then to love our neighbors as well, for by this He showed that it is not possible to love our neighbor — brother, sister, mother, father — forever and in the true way, in the real, authentic, and spiritual sense, if we are not first bound to Christ, if we do not believe in Him, if we do not love Him, and if we are not one with Him. Saint Sava knew this, the Holy Prince Lazar knew this, Saint Basil of Ostrog and Saint Peter of Cetinje knew this, Saint Bishop Nikolaj knew this, Saint Abba Justin knew this… They knew it, and that is why they set us upon this path.
For when you are one with God, when you are one with Christ, when you love Him, it is not possible not to love your neighbor, the specific person, the one God has given you, the one who is beside you. For how can one love God while at the same time despising, rejecting, and hating one’s brother, not understanding him, not being ready to forgive him, to ask his forgiveness, to embrace him, regardless of the fact that he is different, that he differs from you?
And this is precisely what the unity of our people has always meant. Each person is distinct and unrepeatable. We might say, different from others, meaning each has their own particular gifts. But because each is one with Christ, each then becomes one with their neighbors as well. Each offers themselves to their neighbors through these gifts.
This truth, this reality, was handed down to us through a most beautiful and wondrous image by Saint Abba Dorotheos, the Orthodox ascetic of the 6th century, who said: “Imagine the world as a circle, and imagine that at the center of this circle is God, while we human beings stand upon its circumference. And each of us, by building our unity with God, by drawing closer to unity with God, draws closer at the same time to one another as well.”
Therefore, brothers and sisters, my spiritual children, we know that we cannot be one, that we cannot live in true and incorruptible unity, if we do not live by the faith of Saint Sava, by the faith of the Holy Prince Lazar, if we do not live by the faith of the Orthodox Church, if we do not live in Christ — and not merely in declaration and in words. If we do not incorporate the values of the Gospel into our daily lives, we cannot expect the blessing of God. If our greeting, when we meet and look upon one another’s face, is not “God help us!” — for this is not simply a “hello” or a “greetings.” This greeting is a confession of the faith of Saint Sava; this greeting is an invocation of the name of God, so that He may be the binding bond among us, for this is the only bond that does not decay.
Let us not only preserve our faith, but also live according to it, brothers and sisters. And let our thought, and our speech, and our deeds be steeped in the Orthodox faith, in faith in Christ. Only then will we fulfill the legacy of Christ and the legacy of our fathers. Only then will we be what we ought to be, only then will we truly be what we are. And only then, without fear but also without imposing ourselves, will we be able, with joy, peace, and pride, to build communion with others as well, to build bridges.
Therefore, let the Orthodox faith be our banner! Let our Orthodox Church be the place of our unity! And let our life be a life in Christ, who frees us with true, eternal, and real freedom, so that all together, with one voice and one heart, knowing who we are and what we are, as one people and as one Church, we may always and forever glorify the One Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
May today’s feast — the Day of the Flag, of Freedom, and of the Unity of our people — be joyful and blessed for us all!
Many years!
