How Is the Serbian Patriarch Elected?

Hello my siblings in Christ. As most of you probably know, the 45th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irenaeus, died due to Covid-19. I was asked a long time ago to make a video on the election process in the Serbian Church, considering that there are a number of videos out there that detail the election process for the Roman Pope. This is a good time to describe what happens next in the Serbian Church.

Once a Serbian Patriarch dies, the Holy Assembly of Bishops convenes, with two thirds of bishops required to be present, with the eldest Metropolitan among them presiding. The eldership here is counted not by the age of the Metroplitan, but from the time of his episcopal consecration. In the absence of Metropolitans, the eldest bishop presides.

The bishops meet in a special hall that is connected to the Patriarchal Chapel of St. Symeon the Myrrhgusher. Before every voting round, the bishops conduct a service called “The Invocation of the Holy Spirit,” that He may guide them to make the right choice. The bishops cast their ballots, and the bishop who wins the majority vote becomes the first candidate. In the case there is no majority, the process is repeated until the majority candidate is elected. The same entire process is repeated again twice until there are three candidates in total. Candidates need to be bishops active within their dioceses for the past 5 years - retired bishops and auxiliary bishops cannot be elected.

In the case a bishop cannot attend the electoral council, he can designate a deputy among the bishops to cast his ballot. Clearly, there has to be a very high degree of trust between these two bishops, because it is sorely lacking between them in general.

Once three candidates have been selected, their names are placed in three sealed envelopes. These envelopes are then placed in the Book of Gospels, which is placed upon the Holy Table of the Chapel of St. Symeon the Myrrhgusher. The presiding metropolitan chooses and invites one of the monks of good repute to attend the council. After an additional Invocation of the Holy Spirit, that the election is according with the will of God, the monk enters the altar and chooses one of the envelopes from the Book of Gospels. He gives the envelope to the presiding bishop, who reads alound the name of the patriarch elect, in this case, 46th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He then immediatelly adjourns the session of the Assembly.

This manner of election is pure synergy between God and man. Us people choose and bring three candidates before the Lord, and we let Him choose one of the three. Incarnational theology at its finest.

The very next day the newly elected Patriarch serves the Hierarchial Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Michael in Belgrade, during which he is officially seated at the throne of St. Sabbas, the First Archbishop of Serbia. After the Liturgy he assumes all the rights and duties of a Serbian Patriarch. The patriarch is seated at the throne of St. Sabbas once again in the Patriarchate of Peć, which is the traditional seat of the Serbian Patriarchs. However, due to international meddling and, big euphemism impending warning, issues that Serbia has with its province of Kosovo, this part of the election is generally postponed to a later date, without time restrictions.

I hope you found this video useful. Please keep the Serbian Orthodox Church in your prayers during this tiring time that the new Patriarch is elected according to the will of God. Every prayer counts, and please pray for the repose of our beloved Patriarch. May God bless you all. Bye.

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Churches

Hello my siblings in Christ, my name is Bojan. I’m Fr. John’s friend and I live in Serbia. Today let’s talk about different kinds of Orthodox churches.

Have you ever noticed that Orthodox churches look very different? Some have domes on top, some don’t. Some have a huge iconostasis some have a very small one. Some churches are very light inside, others are dark. Why are they all so different? I bet you can guess part of the answer to this question. That’s right! Part of the reason why Orthodox churches in different places look so different is because the people in those places like different things. In Russia, for instance, it is very popular to put onion domes on top of churches. The domes is called an onion because it looks… well… like an onion. But the shape is actually supposed to look like fire - the fire of the Holy Spirit resting on the church. This style of dome is not popular in other countries like Romania. The monks on Mt. Athos really like the iconostasis to fill up all the space between the altar, where the priest stands, and the nave where you and I stand. But in places like Greece the iconostasis is not usually so big.

By the way, Fr. John tells me hat you are going to have an iconostasis in your church very soon! Anyway, part of the reason churches look different is because people like different things. Another reason why churches look different is that building material is different in different places. Syria is very rocky and so lots of churches are built out of stone. But the Ukraine has huge forests so churches there tend to be made of wood. Churches also look different based on how much they can afford to spend on building. Churches with lots of money can afford to build huge buildings with very fancy materials. Churches that don’t have much money must build much smaller and more modest buildings. One may look more splendid than the other

but both are equally pleasing to God. But the way the church is built isn’t just a matter of what people like and can afford. It also tells us something about what we believe. A long church with no dome is called a basilica. The shape of the basilica is supposed to remind you of a boat. In fact the word for where you and I stand during the service, the “nave,” comes from the Latin word “ship.” We are all in the boat of the church sailing toward the kingdom of God. In churches that have a dome - sometimes more than one dome - the idea is that the eternal kingdom of heaven, represented by the dome, rests on top of us when we are in the church. Heaven and earth are drawn together and united. Both ideas - the idea of a ship sailing to heaven, and of earth and heaven being drawn together in the church building - are true. They can both be found in the bible. So when you see different kinds of Orthodox churches don’t worry that one kind is wrong. Ask yourself what the church building is telling us about our Orthodox faith. There is almost something good we can learn when we think about our church buildings in this way. 

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115. A Caveat About Orthodoxy

Hello my siblings in Christ. Once I made a video ‘Bad Reasons to Convert and to Stay Orthodox’, which was about… well… bad reasons to convert to Orthodoxy and to be Orthodox. Today, we are doing something a little different. Today the focus will be on how you can be underwhelmed when converting. Bear in mind that none of these is a good reason enough for you not to continue on your journey towards Orthodox Christianity, but it is my hope that this video will save you some heartache when you experience some disappointing things about Orthodoxy. Bear in mind also that none of these issues are really Orthodox specific - they plague the entire humanity.

I was inspired to make a video after watching a video of a Catholic wedding. The intro had the most beautiful Gregorian chant, but the actual singing during service was not so beautiful. Another major reason for this video is that the internet has changed the world. Most of you know about Orthodox Christianity not because you encountered a missionary or started attending a local Orthodox Church, but because you heard about it somewhere online and it piqued your interest.

Things are different online. Online world will present, for the most part, an idealized version of Orthodoxy. This isn’t intentionally manipulative. There is no big Orthodox ministry of propaganda. Like everyone else, Orthodox people want to present the best of our tradition, and people are naturally drawn to that beauty and solemnity. You start listening to beautiful Orthodox music or you become enchanted by stunning Orthodox iconography covering the walls of a majestic Orthodox cathedral.

This is where the dissonance might come in. The choir you hear when you visit your first parish might be three people with very little talent at all; nothing like the beautiful choir from Mount Athos you’ve been hearing online. Instead of soaring domes with beautiful icons and a carved iconostasis, you get a rented hall with no domes and mere stands with printed icons. 

Priests can be a mixed bag too. Some are zealous and engaged; some are disinterested and checked out. The priest you find in the parish may not have the majestic beard and air of holiness your favorite internet clergyman does. He might be an excellent preacher or he could be just meh. Parishioners too come in all shapes, sizes and forms - kind, pious, lunatic, obnoxious, sane, quarrelsome, or serene. They will have wildly different cultural and political views. They will vote for a party you think no sane Christian should ever vote for. Coming to love and bear with your fellow Orthodox Christians is right below the doctrines of the Church in importance. 

Last, I would like to emphasize the differences in the atmosphere in Orthodox churches in countries where Orthodox Christianity is a majority and where it’s not, because these two Orthodoxies face different temptations. Often, non-majority Orthodoxy will not have churches and chants that are as beautiful as Orthodoxy in traditional countries. Its churches may be few and far between, taking multiple hours to reach. However, a huge benefit of minority Orthodoxy is that its faithful tend to be much more devout, and that is the secret to its growth.

By contrast, Orthodoxy in traditional Orthodox societies may be too incorporated in society at large. Lots of people will practice the religion or parts thereof simply out of habit, superstition, or fear of social stigma. Influential clergy can get a free pass for their failings, even when these are outright criminal. People may profess Orthodoxy on a census, but not practice it at all because they aren't really all that interested in Christ. Where Orthodoxy is the majority, expect tons of hypocrisy and lukewarmness.

Remember what I said at the beginning of the video - these issues are not specific to Orthodoxy. Even in Soviet Union where atheists were supposedly a majority, not every person was all that interested in destroying relics and melting bells. The majority simply did what was easiest - go with the flow. 

So, when you find yourself put off by some Orthodox person's political opinion or substandard singing, don't be surprised. But don't be discouraged either. Your sole reason for conversion to Orthodoxy should be that you desire to worship the Most Holy Trinity in Spirit and Truth. Christ can save and heal you in the humblest hall as surely as in the most magnificent cathedral.

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