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December 19, 2009

Monument to Patriarch Pavle Unveiled in Serbia


17 December 2009
Voices From Russia

Bishop Irinej Gavrilović of Niš (1931- ) unveiled a monument to the late Patriarch Pavle Stojčević (1914-2009) of Serbia. He is one of the three top contenders for the post of Serbian Patriarch. The other two are Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović of Montenegro and Primorsky (1938- ) and Metropolitan Nikolaj Mrda of Dabar-Bosnia (1929- ).

On 15 December, in the Serbian town of Niš, Bishop Irinej Gavrilović unveiled a monument-bust of the late Patriarch Pavle Stojčević on the square in front of Ss Cyril and Methodius Seminary. The future Serbian Patriarch was a professor here in 1950-51. According to the website Srpska.ru, the faculty and students of the seminary came up with the idea of this monument. The renowned sculptress Drinka Radovanović created the bust. At the unveiling, Bishop Irinej said, “If anyone asks why this bust is in Niš, it is because whilst Patriarch Pavle was Bishop of Raška and Prizren, this seminary was in Prizren, and he taught there and was a great help to many [of the students]”. Since 1999, Ss Cyril and Methodius Seminary has been in Niš.

Patriarch Pavle died in the 96th year of his life in the morning of 15 November in a Belgrade hospital. Two years ago, he entered the hospital of the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade in connection with a number of heart and lung problems. A Local Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church shall open on 22 January 2010 to elect a new patriarch.