Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
Avgust 21, 2004

METROPOLITAN SENTENCED TO ONE AND A HALF YEAR PRISON TERM ON THE FEAST OF THE HOLY TRANSFIGURATION

Communique of the Autonomous Archdiocese of Ohrid

On the day celebrated by God’s Church as the feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, Metropolitan Jovan of Veles and Povardarje, the Exarch of Ohrid, received news that the court in Bitola, specifically Judge Misko Stojkovski, had sentenced him for the crime of “inciting national, religious and racial hatred and intolerance” to one and a half years in prison.

Metropolitan Jovan learned of this in Trebinje through the media. Metropolitan Jovan came to Trebinje at the invitation of Bishop Grigorije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina to preside over the Vigil and Liturgy on the feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, which is the patron saint’s day of both the Cathedral in Trebinje and the city of Trebinje itself.

Although many expected the state to stop its persecution, abuse and arrest of the bishops and faithful of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid after a state delegation headed by president Branko Crvenkovski was recently received in the monastery of St. Prohor Pcinjski, nevertheless, this did not occur.

The court sentenced Metropolitan Jovan for a text published in the 2004 Church Calendar for which no evidence exists that it was written by Metropolitan Jovan. Even if he had written it, can a society that wishes to present itself as democratic try Bishops for their church sermons?

Macedonian society, however, has never been and the way things are going will never be democratic. But let us turn our attention elsewhere.

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is far from Europe, even further from Christian conscience, and farthest from the Light of Christ, which shines upon the entire world. The land visited by the enlighteners of the Slavs, Cyril and Methodius, the land of St. Kliment and St. Neum, the land that nurtured St. Jovan Sangajski and St. Nikolaj Ohridski and Zicki, is now sinking into the darkness of ignorance, lack of knowledge and hopelessness.

The apostate bishops of the Macedonia Orthodox Church brought the darkness. These people live completely egotistically, taking care only of themselves, building houses for their illegitimate children, and giving expensive gifts to debauchees. Are they to lead a Church?

Of course such people are bothered by the Light and want the entire people to remain in darkness for in the darkness their evil deeds cannot be seen.

Consequently, we need look no further to find those to blame for such a poor religious, political and economic situation in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Those who have been called to testify to the Light bring darkness to the people? What else can we expect? According to the Gospel, if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? [Mat 5:13]

Time is running out, fellow Christians, to comprehend that all the misfortune we are experiencing at both the individual and state level is because of a few destroyers who were appointed by the former UDBA [Yugoslav Communist secret police], which still has not transcended the Communist, i.e. the atheist way of thinking.

These bishops of an apostolic church are trying, and thanks to great pressure on state officials, are succeeding in putting Metropolitan Jovan behind bars.

The same people who are lecturing us on hesychasm and prayers of the heart are persecuting the bishop of the canonic Church in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. They are putting pressure daily through court officials to sentence and imprison the faithful of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid and participate in acts of terrorism against the bishop, monks and nuns of the Archdiocese. Without suffering and testimony all the stories about hesychasm and prayers of the heart are just children’s fairy tales. Appointed at a time when the state needed obedient servants so it could spy through them on the emigrant community, when the system changed the apostolic bishops of the Macedonian Orthodox Church changed only their coat like the wolf but not their nature.

We claim and guarantee that the bishops of the Macedonian Orthodox Church are the last bastions of Communism in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and history will soon show that as long as they are in their seats, there will be no progress in FYRM. When someone rejoices because a Bishop has been sentenced to a prison term for testifying his faith, for his mission and love toward God, then that person must be quite disturbed. Unfortunately, this applies to the bishops of the MPC pseudo-church.

The fault of the FYRM government is not that it tolerates schismatics but because of its indecisiveness in breaking of with the Communist past. The Communist state created the schismatic MPC organization but the problem is that this government is confused between European democratic religious orientation, which offers religious tolerance, and the old Communist mentality of certain judges, which no power can free of the burden of Communism and its bureaucracy.

To achieve progress someone must make a sacrifice. In FYRM people are willing sacrificing themselves on a volunteer basis. Some many consider them mad, others inexperienced but nonetheless brave, still others models of authentic service in God’s Church just as Christ’s Cross is madness for the Hellenes and a scandal for the Jews.

Someone who is not prepared to make a sacrifice will never be able to understand why it is necessary to sacrifice oneself for others. Such a person believes that others should sacrifice themselves for him. This is what the schismatic bishops are doing. When it is time to collect payment, they are the first but when it is time to testify to their faith, they are the last.

Nevertheless, God has shown His mercy toward the Church in FYRM. After 35 years of apostasy, God has revealed to us worthy bishops and clergy whom we should believe. He brought them together in an Assembly that all Churches in the world recognize as the Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid. The sign of recognition whether they are good shepherds is the same as it was in the time of Christ, “the appointed sign”. If they are mad according to the criteria of atheists and a public scandal, then that is a good sign that that they are good pastors of the Church. If they are persecuted, suffering, imprisoned, then that is a good sign that they have apostolic faith. If they do not regret to lay down their lives for faith, truth and their flock, then that is a sure sign that they are Christ’s.

We need to thank Judge Misko Stojkovski of Bitola who, wishing to do ill, did good to the Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid. It is true that he brought shame to Macedonia before the whole world but that is for the government to think about. In sentencing Metropolitan Jovan, the aforementioned judge in fact did the Orthodox Archdiocese of Ohrid a favor for he has contributed to the entire Orthodox world recognizing this Archdiocese as an authentic Church which does not flee from suffering nor seek it but is ready, with the help of God, to testify even during these times. We believe that upon establishing its system of recognition the first to receive such a reward should be Misko Stojkovski, even though history will remember him in a different light.

Whoever wishes to see symbolism in the day when this sentence was published, the feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, is free to do so. Powerful figures such as judges sometimes believe that they control the history of the world. The final word is always that of God. The sentence is in fact a new punishment of Christ, a new wound on His Body, a new sigh: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” [Luk 23:34] However, this sentence passed on Christ, who is the Church, will transform and become cause for praise and glory on the never-ending eighth day, just as the Cross was transformed into the Resurrection, and the grave into a source of eternal life.

Many years more to His Eminence the Metropolitan of the Holy Archdiocese of Ohrid, our spiritual father and shepherd!

ALL-DALMATIAN ASSEMBLY HELD IN MONASTERY OF KRKA

The traditional All-Dalmatian Assembly took place on the feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, on August 19, 2004, in the monastery of Krka. This year’s assembly was especially rich in spiritual and cultural content, and the Croatian press described as the largest gathering of Orthodox Serbs since the war.

In addition to presiding Bishop Fotije of Dalmatia, the event was enhanced by the presence of His Eminence Bishop Nikolaj of Dabro-Bosnia, His Grace Sava of Slavonia, and His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Gornji Karlovac, as well as numerous clergy, monks and nuns, many pilgrims and patrons of the holy shrine of Krka Monastery.

Holy Liturgy was followed by the consecration of the newly added mosaic of the Holy Three Hierarchs – the work of the workshop in the monastery of Studenica – on the seminary building, enlivening the seminary building and adorning it with the images of its protectors.

A brief cultural folklore program then took place prepared by visitors at the Assembly, actors from the National Theatre in Belgrade headed by its director, Mr. Ljubomir Tadic, and the Pelagic Folklore Club from Banja Luka. This was but a taste of the program performed in its entirety during the afternoon portion of the Assembly in front of the church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Kistanje, which was attended by over 2,000 people.

Among other guests attending this important spiritual gathering were numerous official guests, including Mr. Franjo Dubrovic, the secretary of the Commission for Religious Community Relations in the Republic of Croatia Government; Mr. Milan Radulovic, the minister for religions in the Serbia and Montenegro Government; Mr. Milan Simurdic, the Serbia and Montenegro ambassador in Zagreb; Mr. Cedomir Visnjic, the president of Prosvjeta and deputy minister for culture in the Republic of Croatian Government; Mr. Jovo Turanjanin, the deputy minister for religions in Republika Srpska; Mr. Milan Sapic, the Serbia and Montenegro consul in Vukovar; Mr. Vojislav Stanimirovic, deputy in the Republic of Croatia Parliament; Mr. Slobodan Mileusnic, director of the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade; representatives of the OESC from Knin; Mr. Hristos Makridis, the deputy head of the European Commission delegation in Zagreb; Protonamesnik Dragomir Sando, professor at the Theological Faculty in Belgrade; and Mr. Kardum, the mayor of the Municipality of Kistanje.

This year’s All-Dalmatian Assembly in the monastery of Krka appeared to have a record-breaking number of guests. This gives us hope that this Assembly will survive and transcend all that is earthly and imperfect in our time, and that it will continue to serve as the voice of transformation for every patron and pilgrim, who has eyes to see and ears to hear.

[Serbian Translation Services]