Statement of Holy Assembly of Bishops

Communique of the Holy Assembly of Bishops on Tuesday, May 19, 2009

During sessions on May 18 and 19, the Holy Assembly of Bishops learned about a condition and problems of dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church by reports of bishops.

During the session on May 19, Bishop Lavrentije of Shabac informed the Assembly about his wish and decision, due to health and other personal reasons, to retire from an active service and to continue to live as a retired Bishop, but he then accepted a position and a petition of the Assembly , due to current spiritual needs of the Church at this moment, to postpone (‘'to froze'')  until further notice his resignation from the active service of diocesan hierarch and to continue to govern Diocese of Shabac.

During the same session the Assembly had a  business meeting with Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Mr. Goran Bogdanovic and counselors of the President of Serbia Mladjan Djordjevic and Damjan Krnjcevic.

The Patriarchate, May 19, 2009

Bishop Irinej of Bachka
Spokesman of the Holy Assembly of Bishops

Public communique of the Holy Hierarchical Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Communique from the second regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, held in Belgrade November 11-15, 2008.

With the blessings of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Serbia and under the presidency of His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilohije of Montenegro and the Coastlands who, in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church took the place of His Holiness, who was absent for health reasons, the second regular Assembly of the Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church took place November 11 through 15, 2008 at the Patriarchate in Belgrade.

Decision of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church about the withdrawal of the Serbian Patriarch

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church informs the public about the request of the Serbian patriarch Pavle:

"The request of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian Orthodox Church on October 8, 2008, to be granted retirement from active service due to his physical disability, has been received to the knowledge.

At the same time, The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church ask His Holiness Patriarch to still remain the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church".

The Holy Assembly of Bishops continues its work after the agenda.

PUBLIC COMMUNIQUÉ FROM THE REGULAR CONVOCATION OF THE HOLY ASSEMBLY OF BISHOPS OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH HELD IN BELGRADE

In the Patriarchate in Belgrade, with the blessings of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle, and under the presidency of His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, who in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church substitutes for His Holiness, who is currently absent due to illness, the regular convocation of The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was held from 15 to 21 May 2008. All of the diocesan hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country and abroad, as well as His Beatitude Jovan, Archbishop of Ochrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, together with the hierarchs of the Autonomous Archdiocese of Ochrid participated in the work of The Assembly.

In the spirit of Paschal joy and with love in the Risen Lord, confronted by great contemporary spiritual challenges, The Holy Assembly of Bishops concerned itself with issues vital to the life, order and mission of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Communiqué From the regular Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church held in Belgrade May 2007

The regular Assembly of the Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was held from May 14 through May 25 at the Patriarchate in Belgrade, under the presidency of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle. All the hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church participated in the work of the Assembly.

Particular joy came to the Assembly with the renewal of liturgical unity between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Outside of Russia, realized on the feast of the Ascension of our Lord in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, after nearly ninety years of separation. During that entire time it was only the Serbian Orthodox Church out of all the local Orthodox Churches that did not sever liturgical communion with the Russian hierarchs in diaspora throughout the world after the Bolshevik Revolution, and thereby contributed to this event, which is significant not only for the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church and people but for all of Orthodoxy.

Message of The Holy Assembly of Bishops of Serbian Orthodox Church on Kosovo and Metohija

Kosovo and Metohija have been throughout the centuries populated with Serbs, and up until the great forced migrations of the Serbian people toward the north, in the 17th and 18th centuries, Serbs have always been the majority population in Kosovo and Metohija. It is a generally known historical fact that the medieval centre of the Serbian state was located therein, and remaining to this day the centre of national, Christian sacred and secular culture of the Serbian people.