Mladen Aleksic

(ANALYSIS) BELGRADE, Serbia— Serbia’s Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije recently prayed for the Balkan nation in a unity ceremony. “I pray to God that we will never be moved by petty and selfish passions, against each other, but that we will be one in ourselves, one among ourselves, and that we will build unity with everyone,” he said. The call for unity comes after violent protests against the Serbian Orthodox Church’s enthronement of a new metropolitan of Montenegro, Joanikije.

BELGRADE— Every year on Holy Saturday, the day before Pascha (Easter), Orthodox Christians believe that the Holy Fire appears inside the Tomb of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They believe this light, captured by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, is the confirmation of the Resurrection. For them, it’s a miracle, a manifestation of Holy Spirit. In non-pandemic times, many pilgrims of all denominations gather in Jerusalem to take part in this annual event.

BELGRADE— The Serbian Orthodox monastery Visoki Decani is now considered one of the seven most endangered monuments and heritage sites in Europe, according to Europe’s leading cultural site preservation group, Europa Nostra. Called Visoki Decani — or “High Decani” — for its impressive dimensions, the monastery was built in the first half of the 14th century and contains a unique mixture of architectural styles and over 1,000 original frescoes.