The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Zagreb, Croatia, suffered severe damage when a 5.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the city in late March. A little more than two months later, services have resumed in the cathedral. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Sunday, May 31 by His Eminence Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb and Ljubljana, reports the Metropolis of Zagreb. The service was held with the participation of the faithful, who continue to observe sanitary measures connected with the coronavirus pandemic.

The Metropolitan said in his homily: Besides the epidemic, which has paralyzed all life and prevented the normal movement of people, we were separated from our church by the earthquake. The protective scaffolding make it possible to celebrate the service, but research is continuing to determine the exact extent of the damage… The earthquake is one of the trials that we have passed through. I believe that, like any trial with its deep meaning, it gave us the opportunity to learn something not only about ourselves, about the meaning of life, but also about the love of God.

Transfiguration Cathedral is located in the heart of Zagreb on Petar Preradović Square. The present building dates to the second half of the 19th century. The congregation numbers several thousands of Orthodox faithful, including Serbs and many people from the former USSR now living in Zagreb. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 1. Juni 2020)