His Holiness Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Patriarch of Serbia, Lord Porfirije

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Dr. Porfirije (Perić), administrator of the Zagreb-Ljubljana Diocese, was the fourth metropolitan on the throne of the Diocese. He was born on July 22, 1961, in Bečej. He is the first of three children of Radivoj and Radojka Perić, who, after World War II, moved from the village of Osinje near Derventa in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Vojvodina. At baptism, he received the name Prvoslav. He completed his elementary education in Čurug, and graduated from “Jovan Jovanović Zmaj” gymnasium in Novi Sad in 1980. year.

He attended archaeology studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade. Soon he began studying at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the Serbian Orthodox Church, from which he graduated in 1987. year.

He was tonsured into the rank of lesser schema on Thomas Sunday, April 11, 1986, by his spiritual father, then hieromonk Dr. Irinej (Bulović), current Bishop of Bačka. The same year, Bishop Pavle (Stojčević) of Raška-Prizren, later Serbian Patriarch, ordained monk Porfirije to the rank of hierodeacon in the Holy Trinity Monastery in Mušutište on June 8, 1986. year.

He pursued postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Theology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1987-1990). At the same institution, he earned his doctorate (2004).

He was ordained to the rank of hieromonk on the Feast of Archangel Michael, November 21, 1990, in the Holy Archangels Monastery in Kovilj. He was then appointed as abbot of that holy monastery. He was elected Bishop of Jegar, vicar of the Bishop of Bačka, at the session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops on May 14, 1999. year. He was consecrated by Patriarch Pavle (Stojčević) in the Cathedral Church of Novi Sad on June 13, 1999. year. He was elected Metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana at the session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops on May 26, 2014. year. Patriarch Irinej (Gavrilović) of blessed memory enthroned him on July 13 of the same year in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Zagreb, where Metropolitan Porfirije succeeded the late Metropolitan Jovan (Pavlović).

He is a full professor at the Orthodox Faculty of Theology of the University of Belgrade. He speaks Greek and English, and uses Russian.

Metropolitan Porfirije was elected as the 46th head of the Serbian Orthodox Church with the title His Holiness Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Patriarch of Serbia at the Electoral Holy Assembly of Bishops on February 18, 2021, held in the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade. The enthronement of Patriarch Porfirije was held the day after his election, on February 19, 2021, in the Cathedral Church in Belgrade.

Patriarch Porfirije administers (governs) the Zagreb-Ljubljana Diocese until the election of a new metropolitan.

Abbot

At the invitation of Bishop of Bačka Dr. Irinej, hierodeacon Porfirije temporarily interrupted his postgraduate theology studies in Athens in 1990 and accepted the position of abbot of the Holy Archangels monastery in Kovilj, where he remained until 2014. year. With his appointment as abbot, the revival of the monastery began. Old buildings were renovated and new ones were built, a chapel was erected, and the fresco painting of the monastery church was begun.

At the initiative of Bishop Porfirije, four therapeutic communities for treating addiction were formed, called “Land of the Living.”

Abbot Porfirije ensured that the life of the monks and the liturgical typikon of Kovilj were organized according to the authentic monastic spirituality and liturgical experience of Mount Athos monasteries. The monastery became recognizable for cultivating Byzantine church chanting, as well as for its openness to the social community.

At the initiative of Bishop Porfirije, four therapeutic communities for treating addiction were formed, called “Land of the Living.” From the founding of the first community in 2005 to the beginning of 2021, nearly 4,000 patients passed through these unique treatment centers where medical knowledge and skills are intertwined with centuries-old Orthodox spiritual experience.

The monastery brotherhood multiplied several times, so at the time of Metropolitan Porfirije’s departure from the position of abbot, it numbered 25 monks.

For an entire decade, Bishop Porfirije was one of the regular participants in the program “Primer of Orthodoxy” broadcast on Novi Sad Television. He was also, from the beginning of the television program “Agape” by author and host Aleksandar Gajšek (2005) until his election as Metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana (2014), along with the late academician Dr. Vladeta Jerotić and other prominent thinkers, a frequent guest. As a representative of traditional Churches and religious communities in Serbia, Bishop Porfirije was first a member (2005-2008) and then chairman of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (2008-2014).

“I am a Serb, but I am first and foremost a Christian, and that is a universal value, which is why I will preach and witness Christ. I love my people, but I love and will love all other peoples, every person, every icon of God.”

He was the first hierarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church entrusted with overseeing the organization of religious life in the Serbian Armed Forces (2010-2011).

Since 2002, Bishop Porfirije has been chairman of the Board of Directors of the Serbian Business Society “Privrednik” in Novi Sad, where he was particularly engaged in raising funds for scholarships for gifted Serbian pupils and students.

Metropolitan

Metropolitan Porfirije presented the program of his pastoral work in his inaugural address at his enthronement to the throne of Metropolitan of Zagreb-Ljubljana in July 2014, saying:

“I will always be ready to participate in building bridges between people and nations, fully aware that there will be those who will throw stones at bridge-builders from both shores. But this is what the Lord himself obliges me to do, who in His Only-begotten Son bridged the gap between God and man.”

About his identity and the fundamental values on which he bases his mission, the Metropolitan said on that occasion: “I am a Serb, but I am first and foremost a Christian, and that is a universal value, which is why I will preach and witness Christ. I love my people, but I love and will love all other peoples, every person, every icon of God.”

During his stay in Zagreb, Patriarch Porfirije built friendly and collaborative relationships with numerous representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and other religious communities, as well as with many scientific and cultural workers in Zagreb.

“Freedom of choice, freedom of conscience, free flow of people and ideas, material security of every individual are what Christianity as authentic personalism brings with it.”

He hosted the Eighth Meeting of the Pan-Orthodox Network for the Study of Religions and Destructive Cults, which was held under the patronage of the Zagreb-Ljubljana Diocese in September 2015 in Ljubljana.

He completed the renovation of the church in the Theotokos Monastery of Lepavina, near Koprivnica, one of the oldest spiritual centers of the Orthodox people in Croatia.

He is a laureate of the award from the Saint Ignatius Theological Academy in Stockholm (Sweden) for 2016. This recognition was awarded to him “for his contribution to the reconciliation of peoples in the Balkans and dedicated work on improving unity among Christians.” On the occasion of receiving the award, Metropolitan Porfirije delivered a lecture in Stockholm on the topic of freedom and human rights. Speaking about how freedom and human dignity have their source in the Church of Christ, he said that “freedom of choice, freedom of conscience, free flow of people and ideas, and material security of every individual are what Christianity as authentic personalism brings with it” and emphasized that “this does not mean that Christianity advocates for transient human values, but that it affirms eternal values at whose center is man and his salvation.”

The Recognition of the Association for Religious Freedom in the Republic of Croatia for 2019 was awarded to Metropolitan Porfirije for his peacemaking contribution in promoting a culture of dialogue and religious freedoms.

Professor

Bishop Porfirije defended his doctoral thesis The Possibility of Knowing God in the Apostle Paul According to the Interpretation of Saint John Chrysostom at the Faculty of Theology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2004. year. The same year he became an assistant professor at the Department of Catechetical and Pastoral Theology of the Orthodox Faculty of Theology of the University of Belgrade. At that department, he succeeded academician Vladeta Jerotić, with whom he closely collaborated in many fields for many years.

As an associate professor at the Orthodox Faculty of Theology since 2015, he teaches undergraduate courses Pastoral Theology with Psychology and New Testament Theology, as well as other subjects at the master’s and doctoral study levels. He participated in launching and promoting the Biblical Institute at the Faculty of Theology.

He is the author of the books Face to Face – Biblical-Pastoral Reflections on God, Man and the World (Belgrade – Zagreb, 2015) and Wisdom Hidden in Mystery – Essays from the Theology of the Apostle Paul (Belgrade, 2020), and about thirty scientific, professional and popular works published in domestic and international journals. A collection of interviews and addresses he gave during the first two years of his appointment as metropolitan (2014-2016) was published in 2016 under the title Zagreb and I Love Each Other Publicly.