Irinej, Serbian Patriarch

On this day in 1992, the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) established the Serb Republic - which became one of the two entities in BiH after the end of the war there in 1995.

In his message, addressed also to the clergy and the monastic community of the Serbian Church (SPC) Vucic wished that the holiday brings "peace, love, tolerance and the strength to overcome the differences between us," and added:

Ahead of the holiday, Patriarch Irinej issued his Christmas message, published below in its integral version.

The Serbian Orthodox Church to her spiritual children at Christmas, 2018

+IRINEJ

By the Grace of God

The detailed plan of the Russian leader's January visit is still being worked on, and according to the newspaper, there is a possibility that Putin will visit "one place outside Belgrade."

According to the Serbian government, the prime minister also remarked that the institution has become the site of Russian and Serbian encounter and cooperation, which was most intensive in the hardest moments.

Envoys from five allied countries on Saturday marked the centennial of the World War I armistice between Bulgaria and the Allied Powers in Thessaloniki.

As the battle hots up over whether a number of countries in the region should get their own Orthodox Churches, Serbian Patriarch Irinej has written to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople warning him about the danger of introducing the principle of giving ecclesiastical independence, or autocephaly, to new states or nations.

Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej will not apologize to Montenegro for what he said about the position of the Serb people and their Church in that country.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has assessed that the pope's visit would benefit Serbia.

"My position as a statesman is that the pope's visit would be in Serbia's interest, especially in the context of not recognizing Kosovo. There will hardly be a pope who has more understanding for us than Pope Francis," Dacic told Blic.

Patriarch Irinej will attend a ceremony and receive a prestigious award for special contribution to strengthening the unity of Orthodox nations.

The award is given by the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Christian Nations, with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, TV Hram reported on Tuesday.