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On Thursday, 18 February 2021 Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić congratulated Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana on his election as the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church. We bring you the full text of Cardinal Bozanić’s letter of congratulations:
‘Your Holiness!
It is with great joy I have received news of Your election as the 46th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church at the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s session held today on 18 February 2021. Your Holiness, dear fellow brother in Jesus Christ our Saviour, I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on Your election as the Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch.
As a Christian and fellow brother in Christ, seeing with the eyes of faith I interpret Your election a sign of Divine Providence and a sign of the Holy Spirit. I still remember our unforgettable ecumenical pilgrimage from the Zagreb Cathedral to the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of our Lord on 12 January of this year.
Your Holiness, may Your election as patriarch be first and foremost a blessing to the Serbian Orthodox Church, our sister church. May the Holy Spirit, who renews us, open new paths of God’s love and mercy, new understanding and respect, acceptance and forgiveness, so we may write new pages of fruitful collaboration for the well-being of the faithful entrusted to us.
The nations we belong to in these parts of the European continent, in our present full of challenges, expect us Christians to be the salt of the earth and light of the world, heralds of evangelic hope.
Bearing this is my heart, connected with You in communion of faith, hope and love, I greet you warmly in the Lord.'
