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Holy Belt Fund Provides Respiratory Equipment to Belgrade Hospital
The Serbian Patriarch’s Holy Belt Fund has directed donations from the 2026 visit to Belgrade toward respiratory-care equipment for a children’s medical institute.
BELGRADE, SERBIA — The Serbian Orthodox Church’s “Holy Belt” Fund has provided medical equipment worth more than $43,000 to the Institute for Mother and Child Health Care in Belgrade, following the blessing of Patr. Porfirije.
The donation includes a capnometer, valued at $29,000, for continuous monitoring of respiratory gas levels in the blood, and respiratory polygraphy equipment worth $14,000. The devices will support the institute’s department responsible for examining and treating respiratory diseases.
Patr. Porfirije serves as the fund’s principal guardian. It was established in June 2026, following the return of the Holy Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos from Belgrade to Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos. The fund consists of donations made by the faithful who venerated the relic at the Church of St. Sava in Belgrade between May 20 and June 6.
Archimandrite Ephrem, abbot of Vatopedi, entrusted the collected contributions to the Serbian Patriarch’s sole discretion for charitable use. The fund is administered by a board that includes clergy, academics, and representatives of Serbian cultural and philanthropic institutions. Its members expect additional contributions to support further charitable projects.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Patr. Porfirije appeared in a new documentary on St. Sava.
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