Sydney - Following two weeks spent on the Australian continent, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije concluded his canonical visit to the Metropolitanate of Australia and New Zealand on Monday, 19 October 2026, with a visit to the Church of the Holy Prince Lazar in Alexandria (Sydney). On that occasion, the Patriarch stated: “We depart consoled and with a deep feeling that the trials that existed in these areas are behind us and behind you, that the ship of our Church in Australia is entering calmer waters, and they are a new chance for productivity, creativity and creation,” reports the Serbian Orthodox Church.
During his two-week stay in Australia, the Serbian Patriarch visited Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, meeting with the Serbian community, visiting several Serbian churches, consecrating the Church of the Holy Archdeacon Stefan in Keysborough (Melbourne), the Chapel of the Nativity of Christ at St Sava College in Sydney, as well as the foundation stone for the college's new building. The Patriarch was also formally welcomed at the Parliament of Australia in Canberra, as well as at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Canberra, where he was welcomed by the Ambassador of Serbia, Rade Stefanović.
Serbian Patriarch Porfirije is the third head of the Serbian Orthodox Church to visit Australia. The first to visit Australia was the late Patriarch Pavle in 2004, when he consecrated the land for the future St Sava College. During that visit, he also visited the Church of St John the Baptist in Wollongong. The second visit was made by the late Patriarch Irinej, who visited Australia in 2016.