A religious service marking Christmas according to the Julian calendar was held at Petrinja's cemetery on Wednesday by a Serbian Orthodox church demolished in last week's 6.2 earthquake.

The service, organised by the Serb National Council (SNV) in cooperation with the Eparchy of Gornji Karlovac, was attended by envoys of the president, the prime minister and the parliament speaker, the leaders of Sisak-Moslavina County and the City of Petrinja, representatives of the Jewish community, many believers and others.

“We gathered here today and not in Zagreb, where we gathered for years, because most of our feelings, expectations and our work has moved to Sisak-Moslavina County, Petrinja, Glina, Dvor Kostajnica, Majur, Sunja, and Sisak. They are places which have brought all Croatia together, all its citizens, regardless of faith and ethnicity, irrespective of the day and the time they celebrate the birth of Christ,” said SNV president Milorad Pupovac.

That is a symbol of hope for all Christians, for those who believe in the messages of the birth of Christ, for all our neighbours, he added.

Serbian Orthodox parish in Petrinja suffered severe damage in earthquake

“What this area has suffered unites in the same feeling of solidarity, care and expectation and hope that life, which has been badly disrupted and in which a considerable number of people have lost their lives, will be reborn, even stronger, more vital than it was in the past 30 years,” Pupovac said.

Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milosevic said the Serbian Orthodox parish in Petrinja was badly damaged in the tremor as not one church was left standing but the priest, he added, had stayed with the people.

“Today, after he lost everything except the clothes on his back, he is unselfishly helping, delivering food, medicines, container homes, filling out forms, advising and doing all the rest,” he said.

“We are here to help the people affected because what is good at Christmastime is the spirit of solidarity between people. All have been affected, Serbs and Croats, Roma and others. We are all in this pain together.”

“All Croatia is helping, without asking about ethnicity or faith, and I’d like this spirit of unity to continue in the period ahead,” Milosevic said.

Petrinja Mayor extends best wishes

Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic extended Christmas Eve greetings to Orthodox believers, praising the fact that people were helping each other after the tremor.

In his address, parish priest Sasa Umcevic mentioned those who lost their homes and loved ones in the earthquake. “Hundreds of you are still living under the clear skies, but that’s why we are here, to be with your sorrow and pain, to share with you the blessing of Christmas night.”

Last Wednesday, the day after the tremor, the SNV started a campaign called “Banija is our house” to help all the villages near Glina, Petrinja, Kostajnica and Dvor, primarily thanks to local SNV members and volunteers.