On August 3, 2025, in Sremski Karlovci, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije delivered a moving homily on the Day of Remembrance for the Serbs Who Suffered and Were Expelled During ‘Operation Storm’ Thirty Years Ago. Addressing both spiritual and national unity, he called for reconciliation, humility, and solidarity amid the great trials faced by the Serbian people and the world.
“I pray to the Lord and urge everyone, without exception, to rise above narrow, selfish, and especially ideologically driven interests,” said Patriarch Porfirije. “Let us elevate ourselves, in the spirit of our Orthodox Christian conciliarity, above divisions and discord.”
Quoting the Apostle Paul, he reminded the faithful: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree with one another and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. For I have been informed… that there are quarrels among you.” (1 Cor. 1:10–11)
This, he emphasized, is not only a message from the early Church but the enduring word of the Church of Christ and the Church of Saint Sava, always calling for peace, mutual understanding, and love among brothers and sisters.
“Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself calls us to be one through faith in Him (John 17:21),” the Patriarch stated. “To be one in goodness and virtue.”
He elaborated on what this unity means in practical terms:
- To need and support one another, recognizing we cannot live in isolation.
- To forgive and seek forgiveness.
- To reject exclusivity and open our hearts to one another.
- To understand that no one is superfluous, and every individual is precious.
- To live for each other, not merely beside one another.
- To practice patience, compassion, solidarity, and mercy.
- To honor one another’s dignity, and uplift each other through love and respect.
Patriarch Porfirije concluded with a heartfelt appeal: “Let each of us strive to become better in the eyes of God and more loving toward our neighbor, so that as a people we may thrive. That must be our conscious choice if we still wish to be called—and truly be—the children of Saint Sava.”
Source: Patriarchate of Serbia
