The regular meeting of the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian
Orthodox Church began at the Patriarchate of Pec monastery with the
joint serving of the holy hierarchical Divine Liturgy and the invocation
of the Holy Spirit and continued in Prizren with the rite of
consecration of the renovated Prizren Seminary.
Afterward, all regular
meetings, under the presidency of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej,
were held in Belgrade. Participating in the Assembly were all diocesan
hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church with the exception of Bishop
Lavrentije of Sabac who, out of justifiable reasons, was not able to
attend.
The most important theme of this year’s Assembly was
preparation of the Serbian Orthodox Church to take part in the Holy and
Great Council of the Orthodox Church, to meet this June in Crete.
Regarding this forthcoming pan Orthodox Council, the Assembly of Bishops
of the Serbian Orthodox Church, adopted a document expressing their
principle position on all major issues to be discussed and decided upon
at the Great Council.
Also of importance was the decision of the
Assembly that in good time – meaning soon – preparation begin for the
celebration of the 800th anniversary of the independence of the Serbian
Orthodox Church (1219-2019), in cooperation with the authorities of
Serbia and Republika Srpska and all relative and cultural institutions
of the Serbian people. At the same time, the Assembly was pleased to
learn from Metropolitan Amphilohije of Montenegro and the Coastlands, of
the successful preparations already in place for the 1,000th
anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Jovan Vladimir, King of Serbia,
which will take place in September of this year in the city of Bar and
besides the Patriarch and hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church
invitations will be sent to high delegations of all Orthodox Churches.
The Order of King Jovan Vladimir has been established , to be awarded to
confessors of faith and sufferers in the faith.
As in previous
years, the Assembly took into consideration church education, as well as
the mission of the Church in general, both internal and external.
Protopresbyter Gojko Perovic, the current acting rector of the St. Petar
of Cetinje Seminary in Cetinje, was elected Rector of the
aforementioned Seminary. The Library of the Serbian Orthodox
Patriarchate in Belgrade was given status of the main library in the
entire region of the Serbian Orthodox Church. With sadness it was noted
that there are still, here and there, schools where religious education
is unlawfully discriminated against, even though in general the
situation is favorable.
It was noted that the relations between
the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Sister Orthodox Churches are
exceptionally good, fully in the spirit of the Church’s unity and
conciliarity, with one unfortunate exception – the Romanian
Patriarchate, whose bishops and clergy for years now - in a
non-canonical manner and not in the spirit of brotherly love - enter in
the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Eastern Serbia,
particularly in the Timok region. After many past addresses and appeals,
unfortunately unsuccessful thus far, the Assembly has once more called
upon the Romanian Church to immediately cease this practice which is
destructive for the church; otherwise, the problem will be addressed at
the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, and in the event that
this anti-canonical practice continue even after the Council – the
Serbian Orthodox Church, with sincere pain but for the good of the
Church – will be forced to cut all liturgical and canonical relations
with the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Relations with other Christian
churches and communities as well as the Jewish and Islamic communities
of Serbia, are traditionally good, which, unfortunately, cannot be said
of relations with the extreme circles in the Roman Catholic Church in
Croatia and in Bosnia and Hercegovina, as well as relations with similar
circles in the Islamic communities in Bosnia and Hercegovina and the
Islamic communities in Serbia.
Relations between the Church and
state is developing with signs of good will and cooperation in terms of
the separation of Church and state. Of particular importance is the
support from the Committee for cooperation between churches and
religious institutions at the Ministry of Justice towards both the
Serbian Orthodox Church and all other traditional churches and religious
institutions. The Assembly awaits this body be returned the status of
Ministry of religious affairs. It was noted that the religious service
in the Serbian Army, as well as the armed forces in Bosnia and
Hercegovina, is on the rise.
There are, unfortunately, problems
and unresolved issues. Therefore, the Assembly expected that the process
of restitution of unjustly confiscated church property in Serbia to be
accelerated and fully completed. The Assembly once again calls on the
competent authorities to return to the Church parish books of records
confiscated in 1946, allegedly for the reason of copying them.
Similarly, the Assembly, for the umpteenth time, reiterates its position
that the remains of the Serbian and world giant, Nikola Tesla, you do
not deserve to be a museum piece but that they be decently buried in a
suitable place near the Temple of Saint Sava, as Vuk and Dositej are
buried in front of the Cathedral church in Belgrade.
The Assembly
fathers noted that the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the
southern Serbian region is still very difficult even though there are
signs of hope and reasons to be optimistic, such as the trouble-free
work of the Prizren Seminary and recognition of the property rights of
Dechani Monastery. The state in the region, unfortunately, is equally
filled with difficulties and sufferings: in Croatia the ustasha-minded
chauvinists rant against the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian people;
in the Bosnia-Hercegovina Federation constant pressure is in place, to
the level of open discrimination; Montenegro is preparing a law which
not only does not recognize the status of the Church and identity but is
threaten with open persecution, while its government proclaims the
Serbian Orthodox Church as public enemy number one, seemingly in the
spirit of their "democratic and Euro-Atlantic orientation"; in the
Republic of Macedonia show trials against Archbishop Jovan and the Ohrid
Archbishopric are still active.
The Assembly, naturally,
expressed its solidarity with all Orthodox and heterodox Christians, as
well as Muslims, who are suffering and being killed in the Middle East.
Also, the Assembly prayerfully calls for a quick end to the mindless
conflict between brothers of one faith and one blood in the Ukraine.
The
Holy Assembly of Bishops held a joint meeting with the central board
for the construction of the St. Sava Monument Church in Vracar and their
report regarding their work completing the interior of the church was
accepted.
Reports were heard and accepted from the Holy Synod, the
Patriarchate executive board, the Great ecclesiastical court, the
humanitarian organization “Covekoljublje”, the pilgrimage agency
“Dobrocinstvo” and other bodies and organizations, as well as reports
from the hierarchs regarding their work during the course of the
previous year.
The scope of the work of the Jasenovac Committee
was expanded: in the future it will deal with all victims of the Serbian
Church and Serbian people during World War II.
It was regretfully
discovered, based on the reports from all of the dioceses, that the
“white plague”, as a sin and national suicide on delay, pillages the
Serbian people all the more.
A detailed report regarding the fire at the St. Sava Church in New York was regretfully accepted.
Milivoje
Novakovic, the defrocked hieromonk Maksim, Artemije’s false
“chorepiskopos of Novobrdo and Pannonia”, is excommunicated from the
church community.
The current Bishop of Eastern America, Bishop
Mitrophan, is elected bishop of the vacant diocese of Canada, the
current Bishop of Australia and New Zealand, Bishop Irinej, is elected
as bishop of Eastern America and Protosindjel Siluan (Mrakic), of the
Pustinje Monastery in the Diocese of Valjevo is elected Bishop of
Australia.
Elected as vicar of the Diocese of Montenegro and the
Coastlands, with the title, “Bishop of Diocletia”, is Archimandrite
Kirilo (Bojovic), currently engaged in the Diocese of Buenos Aires and
South America. The current Bishop of Nis, Bishop Jovan, has been
relieved of his duties as diocesan bishop per his request. Bishop
Teodosije of Ras and Prizren will serve as administrator of the Diocese
of Nis while the Diocese of Dabrobosna will continue to be administered
by Bishop Grigorije of Zahum and Hercegovina, Bishop Joanikije of Budim
and Niksic will administer the Diocese of Milesevo.
Members of the
Holy Synod in its new composition are: Bishop Irinej of Backa, Bishop
Justin of Zica, Bishop Fotije of Dalmatia and Bishop Teodosije of Ras
and Prizren, alternate members are Metropolitan Amphilohije of
Montenegro and the Coastlands and Bishop Lavrentije of Sabac.
Submitted by Bishop Irinej of Backa, Spokesman for the Serbian Orthodox Church