PATRIARCH PORFIRIJE WELCOMED WITH HONOURS AT AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 13 /SRNA/ - His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ were welcomed with honors at the Parliament of Australia in Canberra.

Australian officials extended words of welcome and highlighted the Serbian community's contribution to the country's social, cultural and economic life. The Patriarch thanked the Australian state for giving many Serbs the opportunity to find a home there. He added that he had come to understand that Serbs in the country were not strangers but felt at home, while never forgetting where they had come from, the Serbian Orthodox Church said in a statement. Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Milton Dick stressed that the Serbian community had been a respected part of Australian society for generations and had made a significant contribution to the country’s social, cultural, economic and civic life. Dick said it was an immense honor for him to welcome the Serbian Patriarch to the "home of Australian democracy". Member of the Australian Parliament and chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Serbs Tanja Lawrence noted that the Serb people had contributed to peace and brought hope to every community that needed it. Patriarch Porfirije was also welcomed by Alex Antić, a senator for South Australia and deputy chair of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Serbs, who also has Serbian roots. During the visit to the Serbian Embassy, Ambassador Rade Stefanović briefed the Patriarch and the bishops on the construction of the new Serbian embassy building, which is expected to be completed next year in the Canberra suburb of Deakin, named after Australia’s second prime minister, Alfred Deakin. Noting that Serbia and Australia are marking six decades of diplomatic relations this year, Stefanović pointed out that ties between the two countries date back much further. The Kingdom of Serbia opened its first consular representation in Melbourne in 1892, followed by one in Sydney in 1920. Stefanović recalled that Patriarch Porfirije's visit was the third visit to the "Fifth Continent" by a Serbian patriarch. Before him, the late Patriarchs Pavle, in 2004, and Irinej, in 2016, visited the country, which was a great blessing for the Serb people.