Patriarch Porfirije: No one can keep the Church in the pocket

Patriarch Porfirije is convinced that the Church is above party divisions. Photo: bbc.com

No one should think that the Church can be “kept in the pocket” and used for personal needs, said the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Porfirije, in a New Year interview for Serbia's central television channel RTS.

“Many people do not listen to the word of Christ, the word of the Gospel, and sometimes they would like to use the Church in the context of their personal goals, but no one can keep the Church in their pocket and use it as a joker when they need it,” the Patriarch warned.

He noted that there is one fundamental problem: many people do not understand that the Church embraces the whole, it addresses its entire people.

“It embraces both nature and all creation, and the most serious betrayal of the spirit of the Church is the comparison with some part or party. The word “Church” means a council that embraces everything,” said the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, the Primate of the UOC stated that there are attempts to drag the Church into the format of a political party.

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