By: Milica Yaksich

At 10.45 on the morning of November 15, 2009 at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, after having received Holy Communion, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia reposed in the Lord, at 95 years of age.

Metropolitan Amfilohije, who has served as acting head of the church during most of Patriarch Pavle's illness, broke into tears as he held a prayer after announcing the repose of the Patriarch. Bells tolled from Serbian churches and Serbia's government proclaimed three days of national mourning.

Bishop Lavrentije reminded the faithful that the Patriarch's death is no reason to be sad and said Pavle "has been more in heaven" than on earth. "The Serbian people now have someone to represent them before God better than anyone else".

In his own lifetime there were many who already regarded the small frail-looking Patriarch as a "walking saint" who called for peace and conciliation during the Balkan wars and was known for his modesty and humility. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew described Pavle as a "great spiritual leader" during the turbulent era for the nation. "His face and appearance were radiant with holiness and righteousness," he said. "He was a true monk, a man of endless prayers, kind and calm but also a fighter who does not back down and is ready for any sacrifice when needed."

Pavle lived a life of sacrifice, simplicity, deep spirituality, strong conviction and a heartfelt love for the place and people of Kosovo and Metohija. To him this was not just a holy land (Metohija means Monastery lands), not just territory to be owned, but the icon of Serbian spiritual and cultural identity. He did not place himself above others, nor did he put his own needs before those of others. Whereas every Bishop in the Serbian Orthodox Church owns a vehicle, only Patriarch Pavle never has because, as he explained, "I will not purchase one until every Albanian and Serbian household in Kosovo and Metohija has an automobile." "

Pavle was appointed Bishop of Kosovo and Metohija, a holy land, half a century ago, and he carried the troubles of that land within his heart throughout his life," wrote Russian Patriarch Kirill in a message to the Serbian people. He witnessed the plight of the Serb people in Kosovo, the desecration of churches and monasteries and various attempts at the general eradication of the Serbian Orthodox culture in the province. In 1989, the then Bishop Pavle was personally beaten by several Albanian youths in Kosovo. The extent of his injuries required nearly 3 months of hospitalization. However, in the spirit of Christian forgiveness, he refused to press charges. Serbian President Boris Tadic, who attended the funeral, recalled the patriarch's words: "Let us be humane and never respond to the evil of others with evil within ourselves."

The Patriarch truly did carry "the troubles of" Kosovo "within his heart throughout his life" and after Kosovo's declaration of independence there must have been great sadness in his heart when he said, "Kosovo is not only a question of territory, it is a question of our spiritual being".

Over half a million people crowded the streets of Belgrade on Thursday, November 19, 2009 to attend the funeral of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Blessed Repose and pay final respects to the one they lovingly knew as the "saint who walks". The morning began early with a Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at Archangel Michael Cathedral, (Belgrade's Saborna church) across from the Patriarchate, led by His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, together with His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Coastlands and Locum Tenens of the Serbian Orthodox Church; His Beatitude, Archbishop Daniel of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea, Locum Tenens of the throne of Caesarea of Cappadocia, Patriarch of Romania; His Beatitude, Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania; and His Beatitude, Metropolitan Christopher, Primate of the Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia. Also concelebrating were the official representatives of all 15 Autocephalous Orthodox Churches. The clergy were all vested in white and Pavle's body covered in a white, green and gold embroidered shroud lay in an open casket.

Upon completion of the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy the casket was placed on a caisson as crowds joined Serbian leaders and clergy in a solemn procession to the Memorial Church of Saint Sava of Serbia, the largest Orthodox Christian church in the Balkans. Even so, the funeral was held outside before the main entrance so that all could witness the prayers and speeches. Patriarch Pavle's body was buried at Rakovica monastery in a suburb of the Serb capital, as he had requested.

Later, Amfilohije described Pavle as a "modest and quiet man who is now a beacon of light that shines on us from the sky." "People have poured like a river only to touch him," Amfilohije said of the large crowds who had come to the Saborna Church to pay their last respects to Pavle since Sunday.

In view of his life it seems appropriate that Patriarch Pavle should be born on a great and sober feast such as that of the Beheading of John the Baptist, September 11, 1914 in the village of Kucani, in the county of Donji Miholjac, in Slavonija, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at the time and is now in Croatia. Given the baptismal name Gojko, he lost both parents, Stefan and Ann Stojcevic, by the age of three and was, together with his brother, raised by an aunt. Even as a child he was frail and told the story of how once his family had lit a candle for him, thinking he had died.

Gojko was a good student, having completed elementary school in Kucani, middle school in Tuzla and high school in Belgrade, he went on to complete a six year course of studies at the Seminary in Sarajevo and received a graduate degree from the Belgrade University School of Theology. From 1944 to 1955 he was a monastic at Raca Monastery. In 1948 he was tonsured and then in the same year ordained Hierodeacon Pavle. He was subsequently in 1954 ordained to the priesthood as a hieromonk and elected to the rank of protosingelos. From 1955 to 1957 he studied the New Testament and developed such an expertise in liturgics during postgraduate studies at the Orthodox Theological Faculty at the University of Athens, that the Patriarch consequently came to be one of the most prolific liturgical writers in the Serbian Church and for his work the Theological Faculty of the Serbian Orthodox Church awarded His Holiness an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity.

PAVLE published a monograph on the Monastery of Devic consecrated to Saint Joanikije of Devic (1989). From 1972 to 1992 he also published numerous scholarly articles on liturgics in Glasnik Srpski Patrijarsije. These articles attracted the attention of notable scholars in the fields of liturgics, medieval studies, byzantology, philology and art history. He was in charge of the new and expanded edition of Srbljak (service book to Serbian saints), published by the Holy Synod in 1986. It was thanks to the efforts of Bishop PAVLE that we saw the Book of Needs and (for the first time in the Serbian language) the Liturgicon, Prayer book and the Great Typicon, as well as other service books, published by the Holy Synod of Bishops.

As president of the Commission of the Holy Synod of Bishops on Translations, a Serbian version of the New Testament was published in 1984. He was also instrumental in having the first edition of this translation twice reprinted in an improved and expanded form. He was the president of the Editorial Board of the hugely important monograph Monuments of Kosovo.

In 1957 Pavle was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by Bishop Emilian of Slavonija. The Holy Assembly of Bishops elected Archimandrite Pavle as Bishop of Raska Prizen on May 29, 1957. Bishop Pavle was enthroned on October 13, 1957 in the Cathedral of Prizren by the then Bishop of Zica and, subsequently, Patriarch GERMAN and Bishop VLADISLAV of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, later Metropolitan of Dabar and Bosnia.

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church met on December 1, 1990 at the Patriarchate in Belgrade in order to elect the successor of the seriously ill Patriarch GERMAN. At the beginning of the session, Metropolitan VLADISLAV of Dabar and Bosnia acquainted the Assembly with the slate of candidates who had the qualifications required by the Statutes of the Serbian Orthodox Church. There were seventeen qualified candidates. The voting procedure was the following: each member of the Assembly circled the names of three candidates for the short list. In order to be placed on the short list, a candidate must receive the votes of more than half the members of the Assembly, which meant at least thirteen votes. The vote was taken nine times before the short list was completed. On it were the names of Bishop SAVA of Sumadija, Bishop STEFAN of Zica and Bishop PAVLE of Raska and Prizren.

After preparatory prayers, the Most Venerable Archimandrite Antonije Djurdjevic, Abbot of the Monastery of Tronosa, entered the sanctuary of the Patriarchal Chapel consecrated to Saint Simeon the Myrrhobletes, prostrated himself before the altar and venerated the Gospel. Then he removed from the Gospel the three sealed envelopes containing the names of the three candidates on the short list. Selecting one of the envelopes, he gave it to the Metropolitan of Dabar and Bosnia VLADISLAV who opened the envelope and announced that the new Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci and the Serbian Patriarch is Bishop PAVLE of Raska and Prizren.

Following the Service of Thanksgiving, Bishop STEFAN of Zica addressed the following words to the Assembly: "For the first time in the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church we have used the apostolic method for the election of the patriarch. As you can see, it was very beneficial. I am crying with joy, because the most holy, the best and the most prayerful among us was chosen to sit on the Throne of Saint Sava. His coming to take the helm of the Serbian Orthodox Church at the time when prayers are so rare, although more needed than ever, is the expression of the will of the Holy Spirit that the Church of Saint Sava become spiritually strengthened."

The provision of this manner of electing the patriarch was added to the Statutes of the Serbian Orthodox Church by the Holy Assembly of Bishops in 1967. Although the reasons for the adoption of this procedure for the election of the patriarch were primarily ecclesiastical, this manner of election protected the Patriarch from the meddling of secular authorities. His Holiness Patriarch PAVLE was enthroned as the forty-fourth Serbian Patriarch on Sunday December 2, 1990 in the Cathedral of Belgrade and he ascended the ancient Patriarchal Throne in the Patriarchate of Pec on May 2, 1994.

After the 40-day period of mourning, the Serbian Orthodox Church will elect a new patriarch in like manner. The new church head will be chosen from three candidates - bishops with the most votes from Synod members. Envelopes containing the candidates' names will be placed into the Gospel Book and the new patriarch will be chosen by "the Holy Spirit", as a selected priest removes the envelope with the name of the new patriarch.

Metropolitan Amfilohije, who served along with Patriarch Bartholomew at the funeral, said during the ceremony that Patriarch Pavle, "the holy old man", awoke hidden goodness, love of fellow men and God in people, who during the past days recognized him in his death as their closest of kin. "

When a man is born, the whole world is rejoicing, and only he is crying, but one must live in such a way that when one passes away, the whole world cries, while only he rejoices," the metropolitan reminded of the patriarch's words.
His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Blessed Repose
Memory Eternal!