A Message of Greeting from Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia was read at the International Conference “Partners in a Changing World: Central and Eastern Europe, America, Israel and the New Middle East,” held in Belgrade on 15 July 2026, at the initiative of the Serbian-American Friendship Congress. The message was read by Bishop Dositej of Lipljan, Auxiliary Bishop.
Read below the message of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia
More than three thousand years ago, the wise Ecclesiastes, from the Holy Land and the Holy City, which, as always, remains today at the centre of the attention of all humanity, addressed us with these timeless words: “That which has been is what will be; that which has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
With the words of the wise Solomon always before us, we are today witnessing events that are transforming the world with unprecedented speed. These changes are, as a rule, carried out with the aim of making human life easier, promoting economic and social development, creating new strategic possibilities, and serving other related purposes.
Nevertheless, these rapid developments, often accompanied by dramatic consequences, taking place in the fields of technology and economics, inevitably affect every aspect of human activity: culture, human relationships, and the way people relate to one another, both individually and collectively.
For precisely this reason, we gather at various international forums, seeking to understand the deeper meaning of these transformations, so that change itself does not become the force that determines and dictates the future course of human civilisation, a course that is not necessarily beneficial for humankind.
At gatherings such as today’s, we seek to discover or propose solutions that serve the true interests of humanity and of creation. Such solutions can become genuinely beneficial only when they follow the path of Meaning, of the Divine Logos, which inspires human beings to do what is good.
The changes taking place in the world will indeed be blessed by God, provided that they seek to satisfy the fundamental and timeless needs of every human being: the search for truth, peace, trust, and life within a society founded upon love and communion with one’s fellow human beings.
For this reason, every meeting founded upon sincere dialogue and mutual respect constitutes a valuable contribution to the establishment of peace among individuals and nations. I am deeply convinced that this very spirit characterises our gathering here today in Belgrade.
Belgrade, despite the fact that throughout its long history it has been destroyed forty-four times, has for centuries remained a place where peoples, cultures, and traditions meet; a city situated at the crossroads of East and West. For this reason, its inhabitants have never ceased to seek that which is the most precious good “under the sun”: peace.
Dear friends,
Belgrade and Serbia welcome you. You are welcomed by a people whose spiritual father and teacher is Saint Sava.
The first Archbishop and enlightener of the Serbian people taught us, through his life and example, to remain steadfast and unwavering in our Orthodox faith and our national identity, while at the same time always remaining open to encounter, dialogue, and understanding with every human being.
His teaching calls upon us even today to face honestly the following reality: never before in the history of humanity has humankind possessed such vast knowledge and so many capabilities; yet never has there been a more urgent need to ask ourselves what this knowledge is directed towards and what kind of human being it is shaping. Does it contribute to the building of peace, or does it instead give rise to new fears and new conflicts?
The world needs to know that true peace begins when we recognise the other person as our neighbour; when we recognise our brother or sister in the face of another human being.
And our neighbour, our brother or sister, according to the teaching of Saint Sava, is not only the person who thinks as we do, or the person who belongs to the same nation or shares the same faith as us, but every human being. Especially the one who is different from us; the one whom it is easier to reject and more difficult to understand and to love.
Today, with particular prayerful emotion and concern, we turn our thoughts and our hearts towards the Holy Land and, together with the Psalmist David, we repeat: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (Psalm 121 [122]:6)
We pray for the cessation of every trial and every human suffering, for the establishment of peace among all the peoples who inhabit these holy lands, with the hope that the Holy Land may once again become a place of encounter and brotherhood, rather than a place of separation and division.
We are especially pleased that, during this conference, attention is also being given to spiritual and moral values, as well as to the cultivation of historical memory.
Without a firm spiritual and moral foundation, it is impossible to build genuine trust and meaningful understanding among people.
At the same time, a people that forgets the truth about its past can hardly build its future responsibly. Yet truth must never become a cause for new divisions; rather, it must serve as an invitation towards justice, reconciliation, and mutual respect.
At this point, we Orthodox Serbs, too, have much to learn from our Jewish brothers and sisters, with whom we share, to a great extent, a similar history of suffering and martyrdom.
I would like once again to emphasise that I feel particular joy and gratitude for every initiative whose purpose is the renewal and strengthening of the good relations between the Serbian people, wherever they may reside, and the American people, as well as the promotion of cooperation between our two states.
I invoke God’s blessing upon all those gathered here, and I wish every success to the proceedings of this conference.
