Statement of Holy Assembly of Bishops

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church expressed its protest and condemned the imprisonment of Archbishop Jovan

After years of persecution, harassment, arrests and imprisonments, His Beatitude the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje kyr Dr. John, pan-Orthodoxly renowned and recognized canonical Prelate of the ancient Ohrid Archbishopric, was sentenced on May 11^th, to two and a half years in prison under false charges of alleged fraud and embezzlement, the result of a politically motivated and staged pseudotrial of a Stalinist-type, organized upon the blatant request of the schismatic organization calling itself “The Macedonian Orthodox Church”. He was sentenced solely because of His unwavering commitment to the unity of the Church of God; because of his communion with the Serbian Patriarchate and thereby with universal Orthodoxy worldwide; and because of his persistent and confessional fight against the schismatic mentality and anti-Ecclesiastical ethnophiletism. This is a unique case in contemporary Europe – if not in the whole civilized world – of the authorities, by order, to commit an act of cruel violence and an atrocity upon the Orthodox Church and Her lawful senior representatives, most violently breaking both their own laws and international norms and conventions.

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

Communique of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from the regular session held in Belgrade from May 16-27, 2011.

In Belgrade, at the Serbian Patriarchate, the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was held from May 16-27, 2011, presided by His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch. Participating in the Assembly were all the diocesan bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as of the autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid led by His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje kyr kyr Jovan.

The Holy Assembly of Bishops began its work with the joint service of the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the Cathedral church of St. Michael the Archangel in Belgrade, led by Serbian Patriarch Irinej and served  the Invocation of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth and wisdom, in Whom the Church lives and always works, especially in the assemblies of its bishops. Afterwards the President of the Assembly, His Holiness Patriarch in his introductory speech to the Assembly indicated some of the current questions of the life and mission of the Church in these times, times of difficult trials for us and for the world, but also times of hope and spiritual action.

Communique Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, November 17-20, 2010

Communiquefrom the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from its regular meeting held in Belgrade November 17-20, 2010

The second regular meeting of the Holy Assembly of Bishops was held between November 17-20, 2010 at the Patriarchate in Belgrade under the presidency of His Holiness Patriarch Irinej. All diocesan bishops took part in the work of the Assembly, with the exception of the head of the autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid, His Beatitude Jovan and Bishop Konstantin of Central Europe.

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

Communique from the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade April 26 - May 5, 2010

The regular Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was held at the Patriarchate in Belgrade, under the presidency of His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, from April 26 - May 5, 2010. All the diocesan hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church participated in the work of the Assembly.

Extraordinary communique of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, at its regular session at the Patriarchate in Belgrade, expresses its deep concern and protest against the latest threat to freedom and basic human rights of the Serbian people and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija, expressed through illegal and uncivilized termination of the mobile and fixed  telephony in the central parts of Kosovo and other parts of the southern Serbian province. The Albanian police, namely, destroyed the telephone relays in the Serbian villages and areas inhabited by Serbs and their neighbors non-Albanians. We are also deeply worried about the endangering lifes and hindering the free movement and work of Serb the returnees in villages, such as Zac near Kline and other places in Metohija where displaced Serbs return to their centuries-old homes and they gather again around their sanctuaries.

The Holy Assembly appeals to the authorities of the Republic of Serbia the international community present in Kosovo and Metohija, governments of the civilized Europe and America, as well as the United Nations of the world,  to stop this and any other violence against the already suffering and innocent people in the living area of the Balkans and Europe, the cradle of civilization and the source of the spiritual and material culture of humanity.

Extraordinary communique of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church

On its afternoon session of April 29 of this year, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church unanimously adopted recommendations of the competent diocesan bishops and entered into dyptichs of the saints of the Orthodox Church names of the blessed repose of archimandrite Justin Popovic, geront of the monastery Celije near Valjevo (1894-1979), from now  Venerable Justin of Celije, and Simeon Popovic , prior of the monastery Dajbabe near Podgorica (1854-1941), from now Venerable Simeon of Dajbabe.

Liturgical memory of Venerable Justin will be celebrated on June 1, according to the Julian calendar (June 14, according to the Gregorian calendar), a memory of Venerable Simeon will be celebrated on March 19 according to the Julian calendar (April 1, after the Gregorian calendar).