BIHAĆ-PETROVAC DIOCESE CRUCIAL TO SERBS’ SURVIVAL IN KRAJINA

BIHAĆ, AUGUST 2 /SRNA/ – His Grace Bishop Sergije of the Bihać-Petrovac Diocese has said today that the diocese is of crucial importance for the survival of the Serb people in the Krajina region.

Welcoming President Milorad Dodik and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić at the Rmanj Monastery, Bishop Sergije said that the restoration of this holy site would not have been possible without the brotherly assistance, understanding and support of the president of Serbia. "You stand here among us today as the president of Serbia, but also as our brother and true friend, as someone who understands both our needs and our hardships. By helping Rmanj, you have inscribed your name in its history, which will not forget you and will remember both you and us even when our footsteps are no longer heard and our voices have fallen silent. History remembers unfailingly," Bishop Sergije said. Speaking about the position of Serbs in the western part of Krajina, the bishop stressed that the Serbian Orthodox Church has never abandoned its people. "We remained outside Serbia, but the Church has never left and never will leave its people and their holy sites. This is the land where our ancestors lived, created and died, therefore we will remain to preserve Krajina and its holy sites for future generations," Bishop Sergije said. He emphasized that a strong Bihać-Petrovac Diocese is a prerequisite for the survival of the Serb people in this region, noting that, alongside the restoration of churches and monasteries, work is also being done to preserve historical memory through the Centre for History, Tradition and Spirituality. "If there were no Church and its churches, many people would have nowhere to return. The Church connects displaced Serbs with their homeland, while our churches and cemeteries preserve the identity and historical memory of our people," Bishop Sergije said. The bishop called on presidents Dodik and Vučić to keep caring for Serbs living outside the borders of Serbia and Republika Srpska.