Greeting by His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW to the Delegation of the Church of Rome

Your Eminence
Cardinal Walter Kasper
Representative of His Holiness Pope Benedict
The Sixteenth, Bishop of Rome
Along with your esteemed entourage
With much joy and jubilation in the Lord we welcome your presence and participation in the annual celebration of the memory of the glorious Saint Andrew the First Called Disciple, founder of our Holy Church of Constantinople. From our heart we thank our very beloved brother Pope Benedict, the head of the Church in Rome, because he was well disposed to send you here, as the bearer of his brotherly message of feelings of love and honor. These feelings we also return from our hearts, wishing him and the holy sister Church of Rome every blessing and grace from God.

Decades ago, a holy practice was established encouraging the visitation of the representatives of our Churches at each other's thronal feasts. The ever-memorable heads of our Churches, Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI established the first event. It was animated by the living desire that our Churches which had been separated for a whole millennium and, occasionally, found themselves at opposing positions that were not beneficial, finally came into a period of a dialogue of love and truth. This dialogue would have as its end the full restoration of complete unity, just as in the first millennium after Christ.

Celebration of the feast of St. Andrew in Constantinople

The homilies for the services and celebrations for the patron of Constantinople, St. Andrew, were centered on the certainty that the common journey toward full unity between the two sister Churches - Catholic and Orthodox - is the only answer, including to the challenges of today's world in full economic, political, and social crisis.

The celebrations were attended by a large delegation from the Church of Rome, led by Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the council for Christian unity, representatives of the other Christian confessions, the diplomatic corps, and various authorities.

Consecration of church of Synaxis of the Holy Apostles in Apatin

On Sunday, November 23, 2008 one of the most beautiful and the greatest buildings of church architecture in Serbia, a church of Synaxis of the Holy Apostles ,was consecrated. Prayerful gathering , attended by lots of believers, began with all-night vigil service, after which His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa along with Their Graces Bishop Hrizostom of Zicha, Bishop Pahomije of Vranje, Bishop Jovan of Shumadija introduced holy relics into the church and put them in front of a main icon of the Lord Jesus Christ.

HEROES OF THE FAITH - HEROES OF THE HISTORY, exhibition opened in the PROGRES Gallery

An exhibition of icons, frescoes, mosaics, rosettes and calligraphy, created by the Academy of the Serbian Orthodox Church for arts and conservation, was opened at the PROGRES gallery yesterday evening. The title of the exhibition is HEROES OF THE FAITH - HEROES OF THE HISTORY. The hagiographies were created in Todor Mitrovic`s (Mth), Goran Janicijevic`s and Rajko Blazic`s class and calligraphy was done by Dragan Bosnic, Mth.The exhibition was opened by Dean of the Academy of SOC archpriest-staurophor dr Radomir Popovic opened the exhibition.

During his speech, Dean led the visitors through history of the early Christian Church on territories of Gaul and Moesia, on which are nowadays France and Serbia.

He specially thanked the patron of the exhibition, Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Serbia, and its representatives - secretary of state Mr. Dragan Curovic and Mr. Dragan Novakovic. In the end , Dean gave word to His Grace Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno, the vicar of His Holiness, in order to bless and open the exhibition.

The Serbian Orthodox Church gave the mobile incubator to the Health Center in Gračanica

On the behalf of the Holy Synod of Bishops and thanks to the church community of Ascension of the Most Holy Theotokos in Zurich the mobile incubator was presented to the Health Center in Gracanica.

On November 28, 2008 the transfer of this valuable appliance was performed at the University in Pristina situated at Kosovska Mitrovica. His Grace Bishop Philaret of Milesevo, a member of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, gave to His Grace Bishop Dr. Artemije of Raska-Prizren this appliance, which was , then, presented to professor dr Stojan Sekulic, general director of the Health Center in Gracanica. The device was given to the Clinic of Gynecology-Obstetrics and is meant for transport of early-born infants. Dr Sasa Cvetkovic , the manager of this clinic, assumed the device.