Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
May 5, 2004

FEAST OF ST. GEORGE THE GREAT-MARTYR

On the Feast of St. George the Great-Martyr, May 6, 2004, His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Kyr Pavle will serve Holy Archierchal Liturgy in the church of the Holy Great-martyr George in Bezanija near Belgrade.

PRESS/MEDIA CONFERENCE

On Friday, May 7, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. in Hotel Slavija a press/media conference will be held regarding the central church and Belgrade celebration of the Bicentennial of the First Serbian Uprising and the arrival of high-ranking delegations from all Orthodox Churches, senior representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and all Christian communities living on the territory of Serbia and Montenegro.

Speaking about the program of the celebration will be His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa, Deacon Nebojsa Topolic, and Dusan Stokanovic, the editor of the Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

We invite press/media representatives to attend the conference. Printed materials will be distributed upon entering the auditorium.

SERBIAN DELEGATION BRIEFS LONDON'S PARLIAMENTARIANS ON KOSOVO

A debate in London's House of Commons on Kosovo was scheduled for yesterday as a result of the visit of a Serbian delegation to Parliament last Monday, 26 April 2004. In order to familiarize British parliamentarians with the dire situation in Kosovo in light of the recent upsurge of violence, a special meeting was held in the House of Commons. This public gathering, titled Kosovo: which way forward?, and hosted by Member of Parliament Alice Mahon, brought together a number of guest speakers from Serbia: Mr. Vladislav Jovanovic, Vice President of the Belgrade Forum; Hieromonk Fr. Irinej Dobrijevic, Consultant to the Holy Synod of Bishops on International and Interchurch Affairs and Editor-in-Charge of the Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church; and Her Royal Highness Princess Linda Karageorgvich.

Mr. Jovanovic addressed the historical dimensions of the Kosovo conflict, noting the Albanian on Serbian violence is nothing new, rather dates back in time and purpose over a century to the establishing of the Prizren League.

Princess Linda Fr. Irinej conveying the facts surrounding the pogrom of 17-19 March 2004 also noted his recent trip with His Grace Bishop Artemije of Raska-Prizren to the United States Congress and the United Nations.

Princess Linda spoke of human suffering in Kosovo based on her personal experience, having spent two weeks in Kosovo and Metohija in the aftermath of the pogrom.

The following day, a press conference was sponsored by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Serbia and Montenegro, summoned by MPs Mrs. Mahon, Chair, and Mr. John Randall, Secretary. Separate meetings were arranged with representatives of the Church of England, notably the Right Reverend Bishop Richard Chartres of London and the Rev. Canon Jonathan Gough, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for Ecumenism, as well as with Dr. John Sloboda, Director of the Oxford Research Group.