Fraternal greetings being sent to newly elected Serbian Patriarch Irinej
Fraternal greetings are being sent by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, to His Holiness, the newly elected Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, who was enthroned in Belgrade on Saturday, January 23, 2010, one day after his election by the Serbian Church’s Assembly of Bishops.
Patriarch Irinej succeeds His Holiness, the late Patriarch Pavle, who fell asleep in the Lord after an extended illness at the age of 95 on November 15, 2009.
According to Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, OCA Director of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations, additional celebrations, in which representatives of the sister Orthodox Churches will participate, will be held at the ancient Patriarchal See in Pec after Pascha.
The Patriarch of Serbia also bears the title of “Archbishop of Pec” and “Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac.”
Representatives of the Serbian government and the region’s Roman Catholic and Muslim communities attended the Synodal enthronement Divine Liturgy at the Belgrade cathedral. Following the Liturgy, Patriarch Irinej was presented the patriarchal insignia by His Eminence, Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, who wished him a blessed ministry as “a worthy successor to Saint Sava and his worthy and honorable predecessors.”
“Now my thoughts are directed toward God, our Savior, the Great Shepherd of the Church, Who has granted me His grace and goodness,” Patriarch Irinej responded in his first sermon as Patriarch. He went on to note that the day was a great one, not only him personally, but also for the Serbian Church and people, adding that the Patriarchal Office has always represented, before God and in history, the fullness of the Serbian people, whose tragedies and joys it shares.
Patriarch Irinej was born Miroslav Gavrilovic in the village of Vidova, near Cacak, in 1930. After completing high school, he enrolled in and graduated from seminary in Prizren, He pursued advanced theological studies at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade. Upon graduation, he served in the army.
Following his return from the army, he served as a professor at the Prizren seminary. He was tonsured to monastic rank with the given name Irinej at the Rakovica Monastery by His Holiness, Patriarch German and ordained to the priesthood in October 1959.
While teaching at the Prizren seminary, he undertook additional postgraduate theological studies in Athens.
In 1969, he was appointed head of the monastic school at the Ostrog Monastery, after which he returned to the Prizren seminary as rector.
He was elected and consecrated Bishop of Moravica, vicar to the Patriarch of Serbia, in 1974. The following year, he was elected to the See of Nis, where he served until his election to the Patriarchal See.
A detailed account and photos of Patriarch Irinej’s election may be found at http://www.spc.rs/eng/bishop_nis_irinej_elected_new_patriarch_serbia, while interesting information on the ancient Patriarchal See of Pec may be found at http://www.kosovo.net/epatrijarsija.html.