On the occasion of the mass murder of children by an underage classmate in a Belgrade primary school that took place this morning, Serbian Patriarch Porfiry made the following statement:
It is with unbearable pain that I listen to the news of a disaster, the like of which has never happened in our people and in our homeland, and today it happened in a Belgrade primary school. I pray to Christ the Savior for the injured children and for those working at the school. I pray to the Savior for their parents, brothers, sisters, loved ones and express my deepest condolences. The prayers and love of the Risen Lord and all our human care and attention are today with you, our dear children and teachers, who are today in Belgrade hospitals.
I ask everyone to pray to the Risen Lord for peace and mutual love. And I ask everyone to do everything in their power to stop and condemn any kind of violence and especially the promotion of violence in society.
Three days of national mourning have been declared in Serbia since Friday.
Source: Official Facebook page of Serbian Patriarch Porfiry
Illustration: Icon of the Crucifiction from Korsets Kloster – Sweden’s first Syrian Orthodox monastery located in Ålberga, Nyköping.
Dating of the icon: 13th century. Place where the icon was produced: Mardin
