BELGRADE -- The Electoral Synod of the Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) met today in Belgrade and elected Bishop Irinej of Niš as the new patriarch.
BELGRADE -- The Electoral Synod of the Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) met today in Belgrade and elected Bishop Irinej of Niš as the new patriarch.
Source: B92, Beta, Tanjug
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The newly elected patriarch told Tanjug that his appointment was the will of God and the Serbian Orthodox Church Election Assembly.
"I have been elected for this honorable and difficult duty with the help of my fellow bishops, who will bear this burden and all problems that come with it together with me," Irinej stated after the election.
rinej Gavrilović was born in 1930 near Čačak, in central Serbia.
He attended Orthodox seminaries in Prizren, Belgrade, and Athens, and served in the Ostrog monastery in Montenegro, and later in Prizren as the head of the SPC seminary in that town.
Irinej was appointed as the bishop of Niš in 1975.
The new patriarch will be enthroned on Saturday, January 23, in Belgrade's Cathedral Church.
He will replace Patriarch Pavle, who passed away on November 15, to become the 45th head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
His Holiness Patriarch Pavle’s successor was elected by a random picking of a paper with the name of one of the three candidates who won most support when the 37 bishops voted.
Previously, media speculated that bishop of Zvornik and Tuzla Vasilije, Metropolitan Amfilohije, Bishop of Bačka Irinej and Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina Grigorije were the favorites for the Church throne.
The new head of the SPC was chosen by what is known as the apostolic vote.
Church expert and journalist of daily Politika Milenko Pešić said ahead of the proceedings at the Patriarchate today that three candidates must win over 50 percent of the cast votes before going through to the last round.
“The apostolic vote means that the candidates’ names are put in sealed envelopes, the monastery’s archimandrite then summons the Holy Spirit and picks an envelope. Such election procedure was introduced simply to protect the Church against external political influences of the state, which was against it [the Church]. Many have been challenging the election procedure because it does not exist in any other autocephalous Orthodox church,” Pešić explained.
There were many controversies surrounding the election of the patriarch regarding the influence of different lobbies within the SPC, but also the role of the state and politics.
There have been reports about alleged power struggles between bishops of the “Bosnian” and “Serbian” lobbies, as well as that government will in fact have the final say in the election.
NIN weekly journalist Jovan Janjić said that responsibility for creating such an atmosphere is shared by the media, some bishops, but also the state itself.
“You can recognize the handwriting of the bishops who would perhaps like to reach the SPC throne. It is possible that there is some political influence in it. I think that the government had to provide all the necessary conditions for the election of the patriarch. As for is there lobbying or should I say cheering – I think it’s there. Although I do not believe that it will be a key factor in deciding, especially if the current election procedure remains,” he said.
Look,he is the leader of the SERBIAN orthodox church and as such he is obliged to be a church leader for the Serbian nation.
He has to rally and unite the Serbian people,he has to propagate nationalism and Serbian interests,Serb unity and traditional values .
The churches job is not to be "modern" but to exclusively help our people.
I don`t want a cosmopolitical church leader who was set in by the Tadic regime.
Amfilohije was denied because he is a nationalist,defends traditional values like children rich families,speaks out against the many sins in our society and that is why the corrupt Tadic regime denied him his rightful place.
make no mistake to think that he was chosen "by the holy spirit",tadic rigged this patriarchs election.
(CG, 23 January 2010 14:50)
Uh, oh. No Amfilohije?!
It serves him right for working against MOC.
By the way, did the West have a say in this? Sounds like the Serbian Church found its religious version of Tadic.
(Ruben, 23 January 2010 10:35)
I am happy about our new patriarch. What I am not happy is when i see some comments here like CG who says that he is not that good because he is not a nationalist. Well he is selected to lead our church and should be a loving person, not a nationalist like the nationalist leaders that we are used to have so far who have been only hurting our nation. I hope that our Patriarch will play a role to unite people in peace and harmony since the whole Balkans has suffered for many years now.
(Kosovo Serb, 23 January 2010 07:51)
Today I feel positive about the new SOC Patriarch Irinej.
He has a big job and may God be always with him.
One of his first tasks as head of the SOC should be to abolish the use of the tool of "excommunication of the faithful". This tool is a sin of the Church.
God Bless the new Patriarch of the SOC. May he always follow the teachings of Christ.
(Kanga, 23 January 2010 06:11)
"At first we were confused. The East thought that we were West, while the West considered us to be East. Some of us misunderstood our place in the clash of currents, so they cried that we belong to neither side, and others that we belong exlusively to one side or the other. But I tell you, Irinej, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us, and here on earth--no one"
St. Sava to Irinej, 13th century
(garasanin, 23 January 2010 05:00)
I have no authority or right to speak regarding this; however, "pro-western patriarch", "uniting with the Vatican"??
St. Sava said, "build walls against the heresy of the west; not of stones, but of orthodox faith". (I paraphrase)
We are yet to see the course of the events, and whether St. Sava's words will be betrayed.
Now that our nation is fragmented and humiliated, we need a lot of faith and we must not turn from our traditions...as St. Nikolai V. said, "tradition is the living faith that also includes the dead"
and we must not forget who we are and what the "civilized" West did to us.
I truly, truly hope it was God that chose this man. If it was by any chance not the Holy Spirit, we are in for a lot of trouble...
God Bless you
And God Bless our new Patriarch... I hope He will guide his hand.
(johnny, 22 January 2010 21:53)
I rooted for Amfilohije,this Irinej is a pacifist like Pavle,I didn`t like them both,Amfilohije is a nationalist and suits me therefore better.
(CG, 22 January 2010 21:16)
"His Holiness Patriarch Pavle’s successor was elected by a random picking of a paper with the name of one of the three candidates who won most support when the 37 bishops voted. "
Devine intervention at it's best. God bless the new leader.
(patrik, 22 January 2010 19:49)
May he be as St. Basil the Great, the great nurturer and defender of the Orthodox Church. Like the Honey a bee makes for its flock, and like the sting of the Bee for those who desire to destroy the purity of the Faith in Serbia.
(xenia, 22 January 2010 18:41)
May he be as St. Basil the Great, the great nurturer and defender of the Orthodox Church. Like the Honey a bee makes for its flock, and like the sting of the Bee for those who desire to destroy the purity of the Faith in Serbia.
(xenia, 22 January 2010 18:41)
"His Holiness Patriarch Pavle’s successor was elected by a random picking of a paper with the name of one of the three candidates who won most support when the 37 bishops voted. "
Devine intervention at it's best. God bless the new leader.
(patrik, 22 January 2010 19:49)
I have no authority or right to speak regarding this; however, "pro-western patriarch", "uniting with the Vatican"??
St. Sava said, "build walls against the heresy of the west; not of stones, but of orthodox faith". (I paraphrase)
We are yet to see the course of the events, and whether St. Sava's words will be betrayed.
Now that our nation is fragmented and humiliated, we need a lot of faith and we must not turn from our traditions...as St. Nikolai V. said, "tradition is the living faith that also includes the dead"
and we must not forget who we are and what the "civilized" West did to us.
I truly, truly hope it was God that chose this man. If it was by any chance not the Holy Spirit, we are in for a lot of trouble...
God Bless you
And God Bless our new Patriarch... I hope He will guide his hand.
(johnny, 22 January 2010 21:53)
I rooted for Amfilohije,this Irinej is a pacifist like Pavle,I didn`t like them both,Amfilohije is a nationalist and suits me therefore better.
(CG, 22 January 2010 21:16)
"At first we were confused. The East thought that we were West, while the West considered us to be East. Some of us misunderstood our place in the clash of currents, so they cried that we belong to neither side, and others that we belong exlusively to one side or the other. But I tell you, Irinej, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us, and here on earth--no one"
St. Sava to Irinej, 13th century
(garasanin, 23 January 2010 05:00)
Uh, oh. No Amfilohije?!
It serves him right for working against MOC.
By the way, did the West have a say in this? Sounds like the Serbian Church found its religious version of Tadic.
(Ruben, 23 January 2010 10:35)
I am happy about our new patriarch. What I am not happy is when i see some comments here like CG who says that he is not that good because he is not a nationalist. Well he is selected to lead our church and should be a loving person, not a nationalist like the nationalist leaders that we are used to have so far who have been only hurting our nation. I hope that our Patriarch will play a role to unite people in peace and harmony since the whole Balkans has suffered for many years now.
(Kosovo Serb, 23 January 2010 07:51)
Today I feel positive about the new SOC Patriarch Irinej.
He has a big job and may God be always with him.
One of his first tasks as head of the SOC should be to abolish the use of the tool of "excommunication of the faithful". This tool is a sin of the Church.
God Bless the new Patriarch of the SOC. May he always follow the teachings of Christ.
(Kanga, 23 January 2010 06:11)
Look,he is the leader of the SERBIAN orthodox church and as such he is obliged to be a church leader for the Serbian nation.
He has to rally and unite the Serbian people,he has to propagate nationalism and Serbian interests,Serb unity and traditional values .
The churches job is not to be "modern" but to exclusively help our people.
I don`t want a cosmopolitical church leader who was set in by the Tadic regime.
Amfilohije was denied because he is a nationalist,defends traditional values like children rich families,speaks out against the many sins in our society and that is why the corrupt Tadic regime denied him his rightful place.
make no mistake to think that he was chosen "by the holy spirit",tadic rigged this patriarchs election.
(CG, 23 January 2010 14:50)
I rooted for Amfilohije,this Irinej is a pacifist like Pavle,I didn`t like them both,Amfilohije is a nationalist and suits me therefore better.
(CG, 22 January 2010 21:16)
Uh, oh. No Amfilohije?!
It serves him right for working against MOC.
By the way, did the West have a say in this? Sounds like the Serbian Church found its religious version of Tadic.
(Ruben, 23 January 2010 10:35)
"At first we were confused. The East thought that we were West, while the West considered us to be East. Some of us misunderstood our place in the clash of currents, so they cried that we belong to neither side, and others that we belong exlusively to one side or the other. But I tell you, Irinej, we are doomed by fate to be the East in the West and the West in the East, to acknowledge only heavenly Jerusalem beyond us, and here on earth--no one"
St. Sava to Irinej, 13th century
(garasanin, 23 January 2010 05:00)
Today I feel positive about the new SOC Patriarch Irinej.
He has a big job and may God be always with him.
One of his first tasks as head of the SOC should be to abolish the use of the tool of "excommunication of the faithful". This tool is a sin of the Church.
God Bless the new Patriarch of the SOC. May he always follow the teachings of Christ.
(Kanga, 23 January 2010 06:11)
Look,he is the leader of the SERBIAN orthodox church and as such he is obliged to be a church leader for the Serbian nation.
He has to rally and unite the Serbian people,he has to propagate nationalism and Serbian interests,Serb unity and traditional values .
The churches job is not to be "modern" but to exclusively help our people.
I don`t want a cosmopolitical church leader who was set in by the Tadic regime.
Amfilohije was denied because he is a nationalist,defends traditional values like children rich families,speaks out against the many sins in our society and that is why the corrupt Tadic regime denied him his rightful place.
make no mistake to think that he was chosen "by the holy spirit",tadic rigged this patriarchs election.
(CG, 23 January 2010 14:50)
I am happy about our new patriarch. What I am not happy is when i see some comments here like CG who says that he is not that good because he is not a nationalist. Well he is selected to lead our church and should be a loving person, not a nationalist like the nationalist leaders that we are used to have so far who have been only hurting our nation. I hope that our Patriarch will play a role to unite people in peace and harmony since the whole Balkans has suffered for many years now.
(Kosovo Serb, 23 January 2010 07:51)
I have no authority or right to speak regarding this; however, "pro-western patriarch", "uniting with the Vatican"??
St. Sava said, "build walls against the heresy of the west; not of stones, but of orthodox faith". (I paraphrase)
We are yet to see the course of the events, and whether St. Sava's words will be betrayed.
Now that our nation is fragmented and humiliated, we need a lot of faith and we must not turn from our traditions...as St. Nikolai V. said, "tradition is the living faith that also includes the dead"
and we must not forget who we are and what the "civilized" West did to us.
I truly, truly hope it was God that chose this man. If it was by any chance not the Holy Spirit, we are in for a lot of trouble...
God Bless you
And God Bless our new Patriarch... I hope He will guide his hand.
(johnny, 22 January 2010 21:53)
May he be as St. Basil the Great, the great nurturer and defender of the Orthodox Church. Like the Honey a bee makes for its flock, and like the sting of the Bee for those who desire to destroy the purity of the Faith in Serbia.
(xenia, 22 January 2010 18:41)
"His Holiness Patriarch Pavle’s successor was elected by a random picking of a paper with the name of one of the three candidates who won most support when the 37 bishops voted. "
Devine intervention at it's best. God bless the new leader.
(patrik, 22 January 2010 19:49)