The Relationship between the Monastery of Vatopedi and Orthodox Serbs at the Intersection of the Past and the Present

With the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia, Mr. Porphyrios (Porfirije), on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, a conference was held at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade on the topic: The Relationship between the Monastery of Vatopedi and Orthodox Serbs at the Intersection of the Past and the Present. This solemn conference was attended on behalf of the portal „Kinonia“ by Ms. Sara Dimitrijević, a member of the editorial staff of the aforementioned portal and a permanent author of texts for the Theology section on the aforementioned missionary portal.

In addition to His Holiness Patriarch Porphyrios and the highly venerable Archimandrite Ephraim (Jefrem), abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, eminent experts took part in two panels, including: Protopresbyter Prof. Dr. Srboljub Ubiparipović, Dean of the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade; Dr. Boris Stojkovski, Full Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad; Dr. Jasmina Ćirić, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philology and Arts in Kragujevac; Presbyter Dr. Ivica Čairović, Associate Professor at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade; Dr. Dalibor Đukić, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade. The moderators of the conference were Presbyter Dr. Vladan Tatalović and Ms. Sanja Lubardić. A more detailed report from the conference itself is available in the following attachment:

Sara Dimitrijević belongs to the generation of young theologians, since the founding of the portal „Kinonia“, first as a permanent associate, and now as a member of the editorial board, she makes a valuable contribution to the mission of our Church within the framework of the “Kinonia” project as such. Her zeal in the service of the mission becomes a testimony that a true theologian is one who prays, and that without active participation in the sacramental life of the Church it is not possible to penetrate the depths of theology. All the written works of the aforementioned author exude the evangelical call “Come and see” (Jn. 1:46). We recommend to your attention the texts of Sara Dimitrijević, which are collected HERE.

Source: Portal Kinonia

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Protopresbyter-Staurophorus Vajo Jović

Protopresbyter-Staurophorus Vajo Jović was born in 1956 in Ugljevik, Srpska.

Priest in Zagreb and Secretary of the Diocesan Board of the Metropolis of Zagreb and Ljubljana since 1979.
From Zagreb, he served the missionary parish in Maribor.
Parish priest at the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Belgrade since 1991.
Since 2000, Elder of the same church and Director of the Orthodox Missionary School until his retirement in 2023.

Forty-two years of priestly service are characterized by intensive missionary work.

Recipient of the Order of St. Sava, third degree.

Protopresbyter-Staurophor Radivoj Panić

Protopresbyter-Staurophor Radivoj Panić is the coordinator of the Parish Mission Department of the Missionary Department of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovci. He was born on April 1, 1961 in Novi Sad. He completed the seminary in Sremski Karlovci in 1981.

From 1986 to 1991, he was engaged as a librarian at the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1992. He began his pastoral ministry as a parish priest in Kosova Polje, where he served from 1992 to 2001. After that, from 2001 to 2009, he was the parish priest at the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, and since 2009 he has served as the parish priest at the Church of St. Sava. He completed his theological studies in 2008, at a time when he was already serving as a parish priest.

He is particularly involved in organizing pilgrimages to Kosovo and Metohija, as well as in humanitarian work. He collaborates with the organization “Our Serbs” from Chicago, through which he actively participates in providing assistance to the Serbian people in Serbia and Kosovo and Metohija, as well as in supporting domestic organizations operating in these areas.

Father Radivoj Panić is considered one of the most respected priests of the Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovac.