Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
April 6, 2006

INTER-RELIGIOUS DELEGATION OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA IN BRUSSELS
SECURITY SITUATION OF RETURNEES AND RELIGIOUS SITES IN KALESIJA MUNICIPALITY, BiH FEDERATION
CONFRONTATION OF CONSCIENCE WITH TRUTH
STATEMENT OF METROPOLITAN AMFILOHIJE AFTER VISIT OF SVETOZAR MAROVIC AND FILIP VUJANOVIC TO CETINJE MONASTERY
CHURCH IN KULEN VAKUF CLEANED UP
MEMBERS OF ST SAVA YOUTH COMMUNITY MAKE PILGRIMAGE TO RMANJ MONASTERY

INTER-RELIGIOUS DELEGATION OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA IN BRUSSELS

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation has organized a visit by representatives of the Inter-religious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina based in Sarajevo to political and religious institutes in Brussels during the period from April 2-5, 2006.

The delegation of the Inter-religious Council included Roman Catholic Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Vrh and Bosnia and chairman of the Inter-religious Council; Metropolitan Nikolaj (Mrdja) of Dabro-Bosnia; Mr. Ifet Mustafic as the personal representative of Reis-l-ulema Mustafa Ceric, head of the Islamic community in Bosnia-Herzegovina; Mr. Jakob Finci, representative of the Jewish community in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and Protodeacon Radomir Rakic, lecturer at the Theological Faculty in Foca.

During their stay in Brussels the high inter-religious delegation was received by officials of the European Union, including commissioner for expansion Olli Rehn and the director of the EU directorate for expansion Reinhardt Priebe, Erhard Busek, special coordinator of the Stability Pact, representatives of the EU Conference of European Churches, members of the Commission of EU Catholic Bishops’ Conferences headed by Roman Catholic Bishop Josef Homeyer, and representatives of the Islamic community in Brussels and the EU Office of the Constantinople Patriarchate and others.

The religious leaders presented the structure and activities of the Inter-religious Council to the officials of the European Union, which had begun even prior to the official establishment of this organization in July 1997. They also emphasized the importance of further reinforcement of the Inter-religious Council and pointed out future activities that will be directed toward further building and strengthening of society on a foundation of justice, peace and reconciliation, equality and mutual confidence of all citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina. They also asked for the support of the European Union with respect to resolving problems in the country, including visa regimes and unemployment. In the near future the Inter-religious Council will direct its activities toward more intense work among youth and the establishment of a forum, i.e. an academy for inter-religious dialogue.

The high delegation of the Inter-religious Council of Bosnia-Herzegovina emphasized a clear predisposition in all talks toward European integration and support for these efforts. Officials of the European Union emphasized the importance of realized dialogue in Bosnia-Herzegovina and recognized the previous work of the Inter-religious Council.

Source: Metropolitanate of Dabro-Bosnia

SECURITY SITUATION OF RETURNEES AND RELIGIOUS SITES IN KALESIJA MUNICIPALITY, BiH FEDERATION

Unfortunately, after unfortunate events in connection with an attack on an Orthodox priest and on his home and family in Puracic in the Tuzla Canton, the Church Parish of Dubnica is also forced to speak up publicly.

The reason is the criminal act of breaking into the parish hall and the stealing of an amount of copper necessary for covering the church of St. Joachim and Ana. This church was consecrated in 1912, destroyed during World War II and rebuilt in 1965 only to be again torched and completely destroyed during the war in 1992 in non-war operations. Since 2001 to the present day it has been in a stage of rebuilding and restoration. Unfortunately, this most recent event is not the first but merely one in a series of criminal acts that the Church Parish of Dubnica has reported to the Kalesija police. It has received no response regarding the solving of any of these criminal acts to the present day.

Since the year 2000 and the restitution of its real property this Church Parish has experienced problems in preventing the construction of an illegal road through the church courtyard; the theft of construction material; the writing of derisive graffiti inside the church; instances of the most uncivilized forms of desecration of a church, i.e. use of the church as a toilet; and removal of the gutters from the parish home and destruction of the entrance gate several times. Upon reporting each of these acts the Kalesija Center for Public Security assured us that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. However, to this day we have not received a response that any of these criminal acts have been solved.

The purpose of speaking up publicly is to condemn these crimes and appeal to the Kalesija Center for Public Security to deal with these problems more seriously and bring unsanctioned perpetrators to justice so that incidents such as these and others like them are not repeated.

Parish priest of Dubnica, Father Dragan Todorovic

CONFRONTATION OF CONSCIENCE WITH TRUTH

STATEMENT OF METROPOLITAN AMFILOHIJE AFTER VISIT OF SVETOZAR MAROVIC AND FILIP VUJANOVIC TO CETINJE MONASTERY

Following the visit to Cetinje Monastery and the Metropolitanate of Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic and Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral issued the following statement:

“The Church by her nature and by her mission is open to all. She reconciles and unites God and humans mutually, calling on all persons and peoples, especially those closest to her “to be one” as God the Father and Son and Holy Spirit are one God, the God of Love. Inspired by this spirit the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral has always received and continues to receive today all human beings without difference, from beggar to king and ruler, inciting them not to division and hatred but to community, harmony and love. As far as the issue of the referendum is concerned, which is woven into the being of Montenegro, it has been decided long ago by Nemanja by virtue of the place of his birth; St. Basil by virtue of his coming from Herzegovina to Ostrog; St. Peter of Cetinje by virtue of his battle for the “Slavic Serbian empire” and its restoration; Bishop Rade by his call to the king of Serbia to go to Prizren for the king while he himself would go to Pec for the patriarch (1848); and King Nicholas with his anthem, “Onamo, namo” (“There, Over There”). The being of Montenegro has been decided, more than anything by fraternal blood spilled before and during World War II in defense of honor, freedom and unity of the people. However, the Church, which expects the referendum to be a noble contest among all for the good of the people, is seriously concerned by the bartering of this holy blood, which of late is being bought and sold and thus by an imaginary decision the people are being manipulated. She is even more concerned because it is clear that a referendum conducted in this manner, regardless of outcome, will not solve a single problem whether social-political or economic: it will merely make the abyss between brothers, which was deep when we inherited it, all the deeper, wider and hard to bridge, and the problem more complex. That is why the Church at this decisive historic moment calls on all without difference to reason, sobriety and honor in their mutual relations and responsibility toward the future of Montenegro.”

Source: Svetigora Press

CHURCH IN KULEN VAKUF CLEANED UP

On Saturday, April 1, 2006 Rmanj Monastery and the Orthodox youth of Drvar organized the cleaning up of the church and churchyard in Kulen Vakuf. On that day they cleared the terrain around the church and the church itself, which for many years has been abandoned to neglect and destruction by the local Muslim population, which has transformed the church into a toilet. At the end of the work a memorial service was held in the church for all Serbs from Kulen Vakuf and the surrounding area who perished, and afterwards candles were lit for the repose of all souls on all the graves. The church in Kulen Vakuf, dedicated to the Ascension of Our Lord, was built in 1898 and destroyed during World War II by Ustashe – Muslim Fascists. During the same period the local Serbian population was also killed, among them priest martyrs of the Serbian Orthodox Church Vukosav and Rodoljub of Kulen Vakuf. Restoration of the church began in 1989 but was interrupted in 1991 because of war events and it remains incomplete.

Source: http://www.eparhijabihackopetrovacka.org

MEMBERS OF ST SAVA YOUTH COMMUNITY MAKE PILGRIMAGE TO RMANJ MONASTERY

On Sunday, April 2, 2006 Rmanj Monastery received the members of the St. Sava Youth Community from Banja Luka. The pilgrims attended Holy Liturgy on that day and then enjoyed the natural beauty of Martin Brod. At the end of the Liturgy the pilgrims were welcomed by Bishop Hrizostom of Bihac and Petrovac, who explained the role and significance of Rmanj Monastery, as well as reminding them of St. John of the Ladder, who is commemorated on the fourth Sunday of the Great Fast. Prior to leaving Martin Brod prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos were held in the monastery church and holy relics were presented for veneration.

Source: http://www.eparhijabihackopetrovacka.org