BLIC

Patriarch of Constantinople in Cathedral Church immediately after landing on Belgrade Airport

Vartolomey bows to Serbian Patriarch

Vartolomey, the Patriarch of Constantinople was among the first to arrive in Belgrade yesterday for the funeral of the Serbian Patriarch Pavle. Regardless of the protocol, Patriarch Vartolomey went right from the Belgrade Airport to the Cathedral Church where the body of the Patriarch Pavle is laid. He kissed the Cross and the Bible and held the service.

Tomorrow he shall serve the commemoration service to Patriarch Pavle in front of the St. Sava Temple. As we learn Vartolomey, the Patriarch of Constantinople met with Serbia President Boris Tadic yesterday evening.
After the morning liturgy the body of the Patriarch Pavle shall be taken out of the Cathedral Church. The funeral service shall begin at 11.00 CET in front of the St. Sava Temple, while to funeral shall be held at 13.00 CET at the monastery in Rakovica.

Metropolitan Amfilohije and the Patriarch of Constantinople Vartolomey shall speak in the name of the Serbian Orthodox Church and in the name of the whole Orthodox Church. The top Serbia officials shall attend the funeral, while more than 100 deputies of Serbia Parliament shall attend the service in front of St. Sava Temple.
Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic as well as ministers of health and culture Miodrag Radunovic and Branislav Micunovic shall also attend the ceremony. The President of Macedonia Djordje Ivanov is expected to come while Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Drucas shall represent the Government of Greece.
Top officials of the Republic of Srpska led by Prime Minister Milorad Dodik shall come as well as Nikola Spiric, chairing of the BiH Council of Ministers.

The UNMIK Chief Lamberto Zanier, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Cvetan Cvetanov, representatives of the Foreign Ministry of Cyprus, advisors to Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and delegation of Slovenian Government shall also attend the ceremony, as well as the Patriarch of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Mitropolitan of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Republic and Slovakia and Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church shall be represented by Philaret, Mitropolitan of Minsk and Exarch of Belaruss. Bishop Irinej is also expecting a high delegation of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Cardinal Angelo Sodano as his reparesentative at the funeral of Patriarch Pavle.
The Holly Athos monasteries have appointed its official delegation of three archimandrites.