His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Mr. On March 24, 2024, Porfirije served a memorial service for the victims of the NATO aggression at the Square of the Thermal Heroes in Prokuplje. Below is the speech of His Holiness the Patriarch:
Honorable Mr. President of the Republic of Serbia, Honorable Mr. President of the Republic of Srpska, Your Eminence, His Eminence the Archbishop, Honorable Mr. Mufti, all in rank and order, brothers and sisters, dear Topličani,
On this, for the Serbian nation of Svetosava, we have gathered to pray to God, who is Love, and who dwells in love, to testify to our unyielding determination to be on the side of love and not hatred, peace and not war, justice and not tyranny, truth and not lies, innocents and not criminals. Truth be told, both one and the other dimension of human expression exactly 25 years ago turned this lump of land into a world stage where the ancient truth was confirmed for who knows how many times in history: How great a man is only when he is a man and how heartless he is when opt for anti-humanity!
I am happy as a man, joyful as an Orthodox Serb, blessed as a priest because no ultimatum swayed my people to give up love, God and neighbor. And if the price of such commitment is very expensive, it is at the same time a pledge of survival and duration not only on geographical maps but also in eternity, in the Empire to which Saint Sava directed us, and to which the honorable prince and immortal knight Lazar was pleased.
Didn't little Milica Rakić, and Boban Nedeljković from Topličan, and the other eleven soldiers who died in the barracks in Kuršumlija, and all those who died in the NATO bombing stand on the same side of Abel, on the side of the innocent victim, and their liquidators on the side of Cain's fratricidal man-hating! ? The innocent blood that then fell all over the land that God gave us became the pledge of our hope and the seed of salvation.
That is why we have been sad for two and a half decades and for as long as we are, because of all those who were forcibly taken from us then, but with faith in Christ risen from the dead and the only Lord of love, we confess that nothing will be able to separate us from His love (Romans 8, 39), of their love, of the land that we paid for with our own blood for centuries, of our determination to never pay tribute to hatred towards another person, even if it was those who classified themselves as enemies.
Deciding for Christ means standing by every innocent sufferer, whoever he is and whatever nation, religion and language he belongs to. That is why we are pained by the wounds of every Abel, every innocent victim regardless of his religion, skin color and nation. The essence of this attitude is not that we want to be victims, but that we will not be cowards, not because we as individuals and collectively are immature, or as some might say: they are stubborn, clinging to immature stubbornness and mindless courage and willingness to be provocateurs. Not. It is exactly the opposite.Our landmark and benchmark are the holy martyrs who remained consistent with themselves and the value system that has no alternative, and that is the strongest possible expression of man's maturity and godliness. That is why, despite the fact that we have lost our loved ones and that grief has broken our hearts, our trust in God, our living faith means that the main feeling that overwhelms us is not inconsolable grief and irreparable loss, but the deepest knowledge and conviction that we had, have and will have the most worthy among us who did not want and will not exchange their Calvary sacrifice for executor privileges. With this, all of us, as well as everyone who, especially in these days of Great Lent, enters with their hearts into the mystery of the cross of Christ, but also of His resurrection, are at a permanent gain. That is why, summarizing the reason for tonight's prayer remembrance, let us remember the past, live the present that has been given to us and resolutely look and go into the future with hope as our guide, because according to the words of the Holy Scriptures: hope does not put you to shame (Romans 5:5).
Dear Topličani, I am happy to be with you tonight. The people of this region, led by your spiritual guiding star and the first host of Prokuplje, the Holy Great Martyr Procopius, whose relics have rested here for centuries, give birth to people of fearless faith, a faith that does not yield to the forces of lies and evil of this world at the cost of life. Just as Procopius used to be, so Topličani from the beginning until today. Only such an attitude could give rise to the Iron Regiment, to win freedom, to survive the bombing and to go on, to go on with the message of peace and love for all, with the conviction that good is stronger than evil, with prayer that disarms every deadly weapon of human hatred and violence.
It is extremely important that tonight we have gathered right here in front of the Holy Great Martyr Procopius to review the overall forces of our being, to see if we are capable of following him in the profession of faith, which means: love, peace, tolerance, forgiveness and willingness to sacrifice. In front of him, as when the sun is at its zenith, it is obvious that the victims of the 78-day bombardment are his followers and Christ's little brothers and sisters.
We pray that everyone will understand that we all need each other, that all people are brothers and that they are all our brothers, even those who persecute and slander us, who unfortunately still target us to this day. We will not persecute and slander anyone, but we will publish and bear witness to the truth for them and for us. The memory of our suffering, the prayerful memory of the innocent victims of NATO bombing is not a bad memory and with God's help it will not turn into vindictiveness. The memory of our suffering, as well as our prayer for the innocent victims, is a witness to truth, justice, love and peace, an effort to manifest the fullness of life in every good and in every virtue.
That's why let's pray to God together with the prayer of my great predecessor, Patriarch Paul: Lord Jesus Christ, our God, accept our fervent prayer and forgive us our sins. Be warned of our enemies who hate and oppress us and do not give them according to their deeds, but understand them according to Your great mercy so that they too will see that evil cannot bring good. Deliver Your holy Church and Your faithful ones from all evil with Your almighty hand. Help, Lord, You who went to the cross and suffered death for the salvation of all, so that among us and in the whole world hatred gives way to love, restlessness to peace, sorrow to joy, so that we may live a quiet and peaceful life as Your people, brothers and sisters among themselves and one among themselves. Amen.
Source: SPC