During his visit to the Diocese of Britain and Ireland on November 22, 2024, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, along with his ecclesiastical entourage, including Metropolitan Dositej of Scandinavia, Bishop Isihije of Valjevo, Bishop-elect Nektarios of London and Britain-Ireland, Archpriest Stavrophor Dragan Lazić, and Dr. Vladimir Roganović, was welcomed at Lambeth Palace by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Edward Ferguson, United Kingdom Ambassador to Serbia.
Archbishop of Canterbury greeted the Patriarch and his entourage warmly, expressing best wishes for Bishop-elect Nektarios’s upcoming archpastoral ministry enthronement on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
The meeting between the leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Church of England was marked by a friendly atmosphere.
Archbishop of Canterbury presented Patriarch Porfirije with an original 1915 edition of a book by Saint Nikolaj Velimirović, Bishop of Žiča and Ohrid, which highlighted the historical connection between the two churches during the Great War and the interwar period.
In return, the Patriarch gifted the Archbishop a handcrafted wooden cross.
Patriarch Porfirije acknowledged the support of the Anglican Church to Serbian priests during and after World War I, as well as the welcoming of many Serbian families in England in the post-war years.
Both hierarchs agreed on the importance of continuing dialogue and strengthening relations between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Church of England, following the legacy of Saint Nikolaj Velimirović.
Source: spc.sr