Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia attended the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Ljubljana on September 11, during his visit to Slovenia.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Kirilo of Buenos Aires and South-Central America, Administrator of the Diocese of Zagreb-Ljubljana, on the feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.
In his homily, Bishop Kirilo referred to Saint John as the “voice of one crying in the wilderness,” who prepared the way for Christ by preaching repentance.
He stressed that Saint John remained faithful to the truth until the end, giving his life for it, and said that the Church has followed the same path throughout the centuries.
Bishop Kirilo also contrasted the example of Saint John with the sin and passions of Herod, stressing that the feast points both to the consequences of sin and to the path of salvation through communion with Christ.
At the conclusion of his homily, the Bishop called on the faithful to gather around Patriarch Porfirije during his visit.
“Let us gather around our Patriarch as around Christ and listen to the voice of the greatest born of women, so that we may recognize and receive within ourselves the Lamb of God who saves the world,” he said.
Patriarch Porfirije is visiting Ljubljana to mark the 90th anniversary of the completion of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
A formal welcome and doxology are scheduled for Saturday evening, while on Sunday, September 13, Patriarch Porfirije will preside over the Divine Liturgy.
Source: Diocese of Zagreb-Ljubljana
