“The Church exists to transform the spirit of the age, not to adapt to it” — Serbian Patriarch Porfirije

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije led the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Panteleimon in a suburb of Belgrade on the feast day of the Great Martyr and Healer Saint Panteleimon. The Patriarch delivered an important message emphasizing that the Church’s primary mission is not to conform to the spirit of the age but to change it by leading people toward spiritual transformation. This was reported by Orthodox Times.

In his sermon, Patriarch Porfirije stressed the eternity of the Church as the Body of Christ: “There have always been those who believed that the Church must keep pace with the spirit of the age. But the Church is eternal because its Head — the Lord — is eternal. It does not exist to adapt to every fashionable trend but to transform them and call all people to spiritual renewal.”

The Patriarch also warned the faithful against the temptation to align church life with temporary social trends, urging them to find true peace through humility, prayer, and participation in the Sacraments.

Earlier, it was reported that the head of the OCU, Epiphaniy Dumenko, criticized the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije. Epiphaniy accused the Serbian Patriarch of making complimentary remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dumenko believes that in doing so, Patriarch Porfirije “succumbed to the false teachings of the Russian world.”