Kroatien: Patriarch Porfirije consecrated the restored Cathedral Church in Pakrac

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije presided at the Holy Liturgy and the rite of consecration of the restored Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in Pakrac, the cathedral of the Diocese of Slavonia, which had been almost entirely destroyed during the war from 1991 to 1995. The restoration and consecration of this church, nearly 280 years old, is a great joy and support for the Serbians in Slavonia, who, after all wars and great sufferings, have endured on their land under the protection and care of our Serbian Orthodox Church.

Concelebrating with His Holiness were: Archbishop of Anthedon kyr Nektarios from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem; Metropolitan of Demetrias and Almyros kyr Ignatios from the Archdiocese of Athens; Archbishop of Michalovce and Košice kyr George from the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; Metropolitans kyr Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral, kyr Grigorije of Germany, kyr Teodosije of Raška-Prizren, kyr Dimitrije of Zahumlje, Herzegovina and the Littoral, kyr Metodije of Budimlje and Nikšić; Bishops kyr Irinej of Washington, New York and Eastern America, kyr Jovan of Pakrac and Slavonia, kyr Andrej of Switzerland, kyr Sergije of Bihać and Petrovac, kyr Kirilo of Buenos Aires and of South and Central America and administrator of the Diocese of Zagreb and Ljubljana, and Vicar Bishop of Lipljan kyr Dositej, together with many hieromonks, priests, and deacons.

In his homily after the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Patriarch offered prayerful wishes that we might always, as today, gather in love, mutual understanding, and readiness to listen to one another, to always come to Pakrac in prayer so that we may glorify the One God in Trinity, to Whom the Pakrac church is dedicated. Patriarch Porfirije emphasized that the church in Pakrac testifies both to the crucifixion and to the resurrection. Though more than deeply wounded, the church testifies to the fact that God is the Lord of history and that He is love.

On the occasion of the restoration and consecration of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in Pakrac, His Grace Bishop of Slavonia kyr Jovan presented the orders and charters of the Diocese of Slavonia to distinguished individuals and institutions. By these recognitions, the Diocese expressed gratitude to those who, through their effort, support, and love, contributed to the restoration of this holy place. Among the decorated were His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, posthumously Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral of blessed memory, as well as Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Đorđe Teodorović. Awards were also given to Mr. Viktor Nikolaevich Dyachenko, posthumously to Mileta Radojević, Mr. Žarko Dragićević, retired Bishop of Požega Antun Škvorčević, former Bishop of London Richard Chartres, General Raffaele Iubini, and Dr. Žarko Španiček.

Afterwards, the library of the Diocese of Slavonia at the Episcopal Residence was solemnly opened — the famous library of manuscripts and printed books to which the renowned Bishop of Pakrac Nikanor (Grujić) gave the name “Episcopal Library in Pakrac.” In addition to the manuscript collection, the main treasure of the library is the second largest collection in the world of early Serbian printed books, along with a great collection of Serbian books from the 18th century and a collection of European thought up to the present day. The library was seized and plundered by the Independent State of Croatia, later retained and further appropriated by the communist authorities, and was only partially returned to the Diocese in the mid-1980s. It was largely preserved in the last war thanks to the prudence of Croatian officer Ivan Hiti, for which he was decorated by the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity is the largest Orthodox church in Pakrac, located next to the See — the Episcopal Residence of the Diocese of Slavonia of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity was built between 1745 and 1768 on the foundations of an older church, next to which a chapel of St. Tryphon was erected in 1747. A major renovation was carried out in 1898 according to the design of Hermann Bollé, when a new iconostasis was also completed, the work of painter Steva Todorović. During the Second World War, the Ustaše destroyed the archives and church books and documents, and priceless treasures were looted. In the last war, at the end of 1991, the bell tower and roof were severely damaged, and at the beginning of 1992 the Cathedral Church was mined by the Croatian army, at which time the iconostasis and other church art objects were burned. On Christmas Eve 1996, the tomb of Bishop Emilijan of Pakrac was mined inside the church. The restoration of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity began in 2003. (Quelle: www.spc.rs, 15. September 2025)