September 27^th

On the feast-day of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, in the presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa and His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, His Grace Arsenije Bishop of Nis celebrated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the church of Sts. Emperor Constantine and Helen. Addressing lots of the faithful, His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II, talking about the feast day and the city in which he was, emphasized that the Cross has always been and forever he would remain a symbol of love. – Under this Cross my children: Serbians, Greeks and African people fought for freedom, and hence it will remain a symbol of victory, Patriarch Theodoros said and with special  words thanked the Serbian Patriarch, Bishop Arsenije and the people of Nis for the warm welcome.  Nis City Deputy Mayor Prof. Dr. Milos Bandjur, handed the statue of Emperor Constantine the Great to the Patriarch Theodoros II as a memento of his stay in Nis.

September 27^th

His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa arrived in Nis in the evening on September 26^th.  A doxology in his honour was held in the Cathedral Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. His Beatitude, accompanied by His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, and the delegation of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Serbian Orthodox Church, was solemnly welcomed by His Grace Bishop Arsenije of Nis with many priests, representatives of the City and the Armed Forces of Serbia, as well as by the faithful people of the imperial Nis and the Diocese of Nis. On this occasion of visit to Nis His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa said that he felt at home in Serbia and addressing the gathered believers, told them to be proud of their country and to love Serbia. “Your homeland is blessed, the land of heroes, those who fought for peace and freedom”.

September 27^th

The Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey organized in the Crystal Hall of the Hayat Hotel in Belgrade the reception for children from Nis who won the Serbia in the Rhythm of Europe competition, as well as for the friends of the Embassy. In this way, the ambassador wanted to reward friends and children who represented Turkey at the competition held in Sombor in June this year. Welcoming the guests, he stressed that he was very pleased that Nis and the children from Nis won this prestigious competition because they represented Turkey. “I have to admit that my initial idea was to gather you in my house, in the residence, and to have party there, to have the children from Nis as my guests, but the rain and this changing weather prevented us from doing so. I am glad we got together. If you are wondering why the children from Nis are with us, I will remind you, and you probably all know that there is a music competition called “Serbia in the Rhythm of Europe” and these children won this competition. Here with us are also presidents and mayors of cities who participated in the competition, “said the Ambassador of Turkey in Belgrade – Tanju Bilgic who presented the children with gifts while main gift, the trip to Turkey, is yet to come. The stars of the evening were the children from Nis who performed their winning song. Mayor of Sombor handed over the transition cup of “Serbia in the Rhythm of Europe” to Nis City Council Member Bojan Krstic who thanked on behalf of the city of Nis for the reception and promised that Nis would be a good host of the next year’s competition.