Belgrade, April 18, 2024
Photo: spc.rs
According to an agreement signed between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Ministry of Justice on Tuesday, April 16, more than five dozen undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students of theology will receive state scholarships.
The agreement was signed by His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije and Vladimir Roganović, head of the Ministry’s Directorate for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities, reports the Serbian Orthodox Church.
This year, 67 students will receive scholarships.
Roganović addressed the attendees, emphasizing the value of education, and of theological education in particular.
In turn, Pat. Porfirije emphasized:
Theology is not just one of the sciences that provides individuals and communities with the opportunity to acquire knowledge in the field related to faith. This is because theology is not merely a collection of certain information about God and knowledge pertaining to religious life, but rather, theology is primarily an expression of the experience of encountering the living God. In this sense, theology concerns our entire being and life, encompassing everything we think, say, do, and are…
Theology does not aim to harmonize with the spirit of the times, to conform to the spirit of the times, but it aims to transform the spirit of the times and make the spirit of the times a foretaste of eternity, a foretaste of the Kingdom of God…
The importance of theology for the state and for society is reflected precisely in the fact that theology bears witness, points the way, and provides opportunities for man to be what he is, to live, think, and act in accordance with the reason for his existence and in accordance with the goal of his existence. That is why we consider the cooperation between the state and the Church in all its segments to be very important, and of course, especially in the segment of education.
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