Rep. n° 12/2024
Czech Republic, Chudobín, October 9, 2024. Under the auspices of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia and in cooperation with the Olomouc-Brno Eparchy of the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia and the Honorary Consulate of Romania in Slovakia, the 37th Tree of Peace was planted today in Chudobín. This is the first tree of this international peace initiative planted in the Czech Republic, making it the 22nd country on the World Map of Peace. The dominant feature of Chudobín, part of the Litovel town, is the panorama of three churches: Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Hussite. The Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius is also a Memorial to the king Alexander I of Yugoslavia, whose 90th anniversary of his tragic death is being commemorated today. And as the date on the foundation stone of the Church proclaims, the year 2024 is also the 90th anniversary of the foundation of this building. In the church is also even soil from Serbian Oplenac, where the Mausoleum of the Serbian and Yugoslav Royal house of Karađorđević. Alexander I of Yugoslavia was the second king of Yugoslavia. In 1922, he married Princess Maria of Romania, the daughter of the king Ferdinand I of Romania. In October 1934, he was assassinated in Marseille, during which a stray bullet also killed the French Foreign Minister at the time, Louis Barthou. King Alexander I was a deeply religious Christian and supported Orthodoxy in Czechoslovakia, which at that time was under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He was also an opponent of Adolf Hitler.
The Tree of Peace in Chudobín was planted under the auspices of his grandson, Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia. Due to participation in a memorial event at the St. George’s Church in Oplenac, the Crown Prince could not attend today’s event in the Czech Republic. However, he sent his official message to the participants of the memorial planting: „I am deeply honoured to serve as the Patron of this important event, commemorating the 90th anniversary of the assassination of my grandfather, the Knightly King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. Though I cannot be with you in person, my thoughts are with you today as we reflect on the enduring legacy of a leader whose influence continues to resonate to this day. His unwavering belief in the values of mutual respect and our national unity continues to inspire us, especially in today’s world, where challenges of division and extremism remain ever-present.“ And as he continues: „the Tree of Peace planted here today serves as a symbol of his ideals—of hope and resilience in times of hardship. It is our collective duty to uphold the values he championed—justice, respect, and understanding—and to strive for a world where peace is not just a distant aspiration, but a shared reality.“
His Excellency Ľubomír Rehák, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to Russia, holder of several decorations of the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia, as well as the two highest Servare et Manere awards, also sent his official greetings: „Commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the assassination of King Alexander I Karađorđević under the official auspices of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, is an important reminder of his support during his rule in Yugoslavia, which he provided to Czechoslovakia, our common homeland, and a reminder of his anti-Hitler and anti-war stance, which ultimately cost him his life.”
„Let the newly planted tree, this traditional-modern ecological symbol of memory and the connection of the past with the future, remind us of the work of the Yugoslav king, the friendship between our peoples and countries, as well as the need for peace and understanding for all of humanity,” said Ambassador Rehák at the end of his message.
The Tree of Peace initiative is aimed at preserving historical memory, promoting ideas of peace and friendship between nations, and spreading the ecological message by planting trees as a symbol and message of peace and interreligious dialogue. The initiative connects two important issues of our time, the first is peace and the second is the climate crisis. The project, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, is implemented by the Slovak association Servare et Manere with Special Consultative Status at the Economic and Social Council within the United Nations. „Servare et Manere also commemorated the Centenary of the death of King Peter I Karađorđević of Serbia, the father of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, at the Serbian military WWI cemetery in Slovakia’s Veľký Meder in 2021, and today’s planting event is a continuation of our earlier cooperation with the Serbian royal family,” said Marek Sobola, the Secretary-General of Servare et Manere and Honorary consul of Romania in Slovakia, who is the founder of the Tree of Peace initiative. „So far, 37 Trees of Peace have been planted in 22 countries on 4 continents,” continues Sobola.
„The important thing is that it is the Tree of Peace. We are going through difficult times today because there is a war near our border. We also met her thanks to our help to refugees. For many years, we only heard about the war from the memories of our grandparents. And today we start living with her, therefore today we plant the Tree of Peace and Peace. Oak, which symbolizes unity. It is a symbol of the Lord God, whom we ask to grant us that peace. Today we also remember King Alexander I, who supported our Eparchy, and thanks to the chest of soil from Oplenac in our Church, we are connected with him. Today’s planting is a message of peace so that we start appreciating it more, because peace is not a matter of course. But we believers know that God is with us. Whom the Lord God loves, he visits with the cross. Many of us carry our crosses. That’s why I believe that the tree we planted today will be a symbol of life,” said His Beatitude Izaiáš (Isaiah).
After planting the Tree of Peace, the participants of the commemoration moved to the church, where they prayed together for the panikhída – a memorial service for the late King Alexander I. At the end of the commemorative event, two Servare et Manere awards were granted, with which the association honours organizations and individuals for services to peace, friendship and understanding between nations or interreligious dialogue, as well as for supporting the Tree of Peace initiative. Honourable recognition for cooperation and help in organizing the planting of the first Tree of Peace in the Czech Republic was expressed to the Father Tomáš Radim Louček, spiritual administrator of the Orthodox Church of St. Ludmila in Řimice. His Beatitude Izaiáš, the bishop of the Olomouc-Brno Eparchy, was awarded Memorial Medal of Tree of Peace for his remarkable contributions to interreligious dialogue and friendship and understanding between nations.
The event was jointly organized and supported by the Honorary Consulate of Romania in Slovakia and the Olomouc-Brno Eparchy of the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia.
