Funeral Service of His Holiness, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia
Posted 11/19
BELGRADE, SERBIA [www.st-catherine.ru] -- On Thursday, November 19, 2009, with the blessing of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, His Grace, Bishop Irenee of Quebec City and Auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop Seraphim of Canada, together with Archimandrite Zacchaeus, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate, participated in the Divine Liturgy and Funeral Service for His Holiness, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, officially representing the Orthodox Church in America at the event.
The day began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 7:30 a.m., led by His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, together with His Eminence, Metropolitan Amphilochije of Montenegro and theCoastlands and Locum Tenens of the Serbian Orthodox Church; His Beatitude, Archbishop Daniel of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea, Locum Tenens of the throne of Caesarea of Cappadocia, Patriarch of Romania; His Beatitude, Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania; and His Beatitude, Metropolitan Christopher, Primate of the Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia. Also concelebrating were the official representatives of all 15 Autocephalous Orthodox Churches at Belgrade's Archangel Michael Cathedral, across from the Patriarchate's official Chancery.
After the conclusion of the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy, Patriarch Bartholomew, together with the other Primates of the Local Autocephalous Orthodox Churches and the concelebrating hierarchs and clergy, processed to the Memorial Church of Saint Sava of Serbia, where the funeral service was celebrated in the open air before the church's main entrance. In attendance at the funeral was the President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, who offered words at an appropriate time, following sermons by Patriarch Bartholomew and Metropolitan Amphilochije on the life and legacy of the newly departed and ever memorable Serbian Patriarch. Also in attendance were other members of the Serbian government, foreign ambassadors and official representatives of numerous sovereign nations, inter-faith religious leaders, and over one million Serbian Orthodox faithful.
Bishop Irenee of Quebec City and Archimandrite Zacchaeus participated in the memorial meal following the funeral, attended by the concelebrating Patriarchs, hierarchs and clergy. There, they conveyed condolences to the Serbian Orthodox Church, through their hierarchs, on behalf of Metropolitan Jonah, the Holy Synod of Bishops, and the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America.
Earlier in the week, Metropolitan Jonah concelebrated a Memorial Litiya for Patrairch Pavle with His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outsie [SIC] of Russia, at Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel at the OCA Chancery.
May Patriarch Pavle's memory be eternal!
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