Statements

The Conference of European Churches urges Prime Minister Gruevski for immediate release of Archbishop Jovan!

The Conference of European Churches, which from 3^rd to 8^th July held its 14^th General Assembly in Budapest, at the end of its work issued an announcement in regard to the arresting and the imprisonment of His Beatitude Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, by the authorities of R. Macedonia.

The announcement states:

The Assembly of CEC has learned with great concern about the arrest and detention of Archbishop Jovan in R. Macedonia. It is believed that his detention is a result of him exercising his human right of religious freedom. Reaffirming that freedom of religion and belief is a fundamental right guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human rights and the European Convention on Human Rights to which R. Macedonia is a party.

14th General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches, Budapest, 3-8 July 2013.

14^th General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches, Budapest, 3-8 July 2013.

14^th General Assembly of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) started its work in Budapest on 3 July 2013. On this Assembly are present 470 participants of which 220 are delegates with the right to vote and who represent 120 registered Churches and religious communities: Orthodox, Anglicans, Protestants and Old-Catholic. Roman Catholic Church is not an official member of CEC, but actively participate in the work of CEC through the Council of the Bishop’s Conference of Europe.    

Communique of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Communique of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Held in Belgrade and Nis May 21 – June 3, 2013

The regular meeting of the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church took place at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade and in Nis May 21-June 3, 2013 under the presidency of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej. Participating in the Assembly were the majority of the diocesan hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Absent were only His Beatitude Archbishop of Ochrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje Jovan and His Eminence Metropolitan Nikolaj of Dabro-Bosna.

Communiqué

At today's session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops decisions were made concerning some vacant dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Two vacant dioceses have been filled, and others, for important practical reasons, will still have administrators in charge. Specifically, the present Diocesan Bishop of Bihac-Petrovac Hrizostom will occupy the vacant throne of bishops of the Zvornik-Tuzla Diocese, and the present Vicar Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno was elected as Bishop of the vacant Diocese of Bihac-Petrovac.

Interreligious Conference in Pec

With the blessing of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Their Graces Bishops Teodosije of Raska-Prizren and Andrej of Remesiana, Vicar Bishop to the Serbian Patriarch, participated from May 24-26 2013 in the work of the interreligious conference in Pec. This international conference that summoned more than 150 eminent officials from the region and the world, was held under auspices of the embassies of Great Britain and Norway in Pristina, the Tony Blair Foundation with the support of local institutions.

The agreement on cooperation between Kiev Theological Academy and the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade has been signed in Serbia

May 25, 2013 in Belgrade, the rector of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary, metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and dean of the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade, archpriest Predrag Puzovich signed an agreement on cooperation between the two theological schools. At the same time it was also signed an agreement on cooperation between the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.