After he was banned from entering Kosovo and Metohija, the Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church announced that he had headed towards the original and most significant seat of his church in order to be with his people ahead of Christmas, but that the doors of his home have been locked to him today.

“As the Patriarch, I was headed to the original and most significant seat of my church. As a priest, I was headed there to be with my people ahead of the happiest holiday. As a citizen, I was headed to my house, to my home. From the moment when I set off on this journey, I have been repeating this: wherever I have been outside of Kosovo and Metohija, I have been in a foreign land. I am only at home in Kosovo and Metohija.”

“The doors to my home have been locked to me today and I am praying to God to unlock the hearts of those who have shut them, and for the love of Christmas and the birth of the Savior to touch the minds and consciences of all people,” the Patriarch wrote on his Instagram account.