Defrocked monk attempts to agitate in cathedral church in Bitola
++
This article ended in my
mailboxhttp://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=113
[The defrocked monk who brought Greek liturgies to the middle of Veles,
the monk who declared the Macedonian church to be Serbian, the monk
defrocked by the Macedonian church, has now gone to the very large
cathedral of St. Dimitri of Solun in Bitola and attempted to make a
scene baptizing his grandchild there. He didn't ask permission.
Rather, he wanted to make trouble. After over half a century attempting
to reduce the rights of Macedonians to have services in their own
language, attempts to put the Macedonian Church under the Serbian in
this day and age is irridentist and unseemly.]
This article was published by F18News on: 24 July 2003 in a
propagandistic version. Here's the gist.
MACEDONIA: Serbian Bishop sentenced to Solitary Confinement
By Branko Bjelajac, Balkans Correspondent, Forum 18 News Service
Serbian Orthodox Bishop Jovan was arrested in Macedonia, on Sunday, for
attempting to perform a baptism in a Macedonian Orthodox Church and was
sentenced to five days soliatary confinement in prison.
The Macedonian government has claimed to Forum18 News Service that it
"has no links with this arrest, it is an issue of public peace and
order". Serbian prime minister Zoran Zivkovic has stated that the
Serbian and Montenegrin ministers of Foreign and of Religious affairs
will protest to the Macedonian authorities about both this sentence and
the ban on Serbian Orthodox priests entering Macedonia in their
vestments.
Metropolitan Jovan (Vranisskovski) of the Serbian
Orthodox Church (SOC), formerly of the Macedonian Orthodox Church until
he was defrocked , has been arrested in Bitolj [sic - in Macedonian ,
it is Bitola], Macedonia on Sunday 20 July 2003. He was trying to
baptize a grandchild of his sister in a Macedonian Orthodox Church
(MOC), the Church of the Great Martyr Dimitrije, was prevented from
doing so and then arrested and sentenced to five days solitary
confinement.
Metropolitan Jovan left the Macedonian Orthodox
Church (MOC) last year after a Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC)" invitation
to end a 35 years long schism" between the SOC and MOC, and was
installed as the SOC bishop and patriarchal egzarh for all of the
dioceses of the Ohrid archbishopric only ten days ago, which diocese the
SOC does not own or have jurisdiction over.
[ The SOC sought to take over the Macedonian Church as it had during the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia by force, only this time the SOC miraculously
looked forward to the MOC agreeing to such a thing. Jovan was,
singularly, the only person who felt the idea had merit. The SOC used
to historically fall under the jurisdiction of the MOC for many many
centuries until it took some Macedonian territories by force from time
to time.]
"Relatives of the Bishop Jovan stated that he is in
prison in Bitolj, in solitary confinement," reported KIM Radio service
on 21 July. "No one is allowed to see himor to talk to him." Relatives
and co-workers of Bishop Jovan are concerned about his medical
condition, because they claim that he was brutally arrested and
physically molested afterwards.
[I imagine, given public feeling about monk Jovan, that they put him in
solitary confinement for his own safety]
The Macedonian Orthodox Church claimed on 22 July that the
Metropolitan "violated the MOC and has endangered its spiritual and
material values, violating the sanctity, order and peace of the Temple
as well as the safety of the priests and believers.
"The Ministry of Interior or the Macedonian government has no links
with the church canonical issues or disputes in this regard," Ms.
Mirjana Konteska of the Macedonian Ministry of the Interior told Forum
18 on 22 July. "To our knowledge, Mr. Jovan Vranisskovski, was
defrocked from the Macedonian Orthodox Church three weeks ago and thus
has no legal rights to perform religious rites in religious sites. He
has made an attempt to baptize a child in the church of St. Dimitrije in
Bitolj, an active church of the MOC. He was not allowed to do so by the
priests in the church, the police werecalled by them, on charges of
disturbing public peace and order regulation.
He resisted an officer, and after arrest he, and his party, were brought
before a magistrate judge, who sentenced him to five days in prison for
disturbance of public peace and order and resisting a police officer.
Again, this has no links with the government or Interior ministry, it
was all done locally, according to public order regulations. Mr.
Vranisskovski party was released after an informative questioning in the
police station. The investigating judge will decide whether there is a
place for criminal charges."
KIM Radio and the Info-service of the Raska and
Prizren Diocese, who first reported on this incident, stated that
"Bishop Jovan who accepted the SOC invitation to leave the MOC... was
lately under specially strong pressure of hierarchs of MOC, local media
and the Macedonian police."
Since renewed disputes between SOC and MOC after
negotiations broke in June 2002, several incidents have been reported.
In the last two weeks, Macedonian border police prevented SOC monks,
priests and bishops, from entering Macedonia in their priestly
vestments. In May, four Greek Orthodox priests were turned back from the
border for the same reasons.
However, this is a part of wider governmental policy
that affects priests and clerics of the SOC travelling to Macedonia.
Fr. Sava (Janjic), deputy abbot of the SOC Decani
Monastery, told Forum 18 on 24 July that in 1994 he and other priests
were prevented from entering Macedonia on their way to Mount Athos, the
Holy Mountain, in Greece because they were wearing priestly vestments.
"We had to travel through Bulgaria. It seemed that this measure was not
implemented in all cases, but selectively.
[Personal story - Ya gotta feel for these monks from Kosovo. What is
happening to the Serbian Orthodox there is a crime. Imagine how much
love they would get, however, if they stopped their irridentist claims
on Macedonia, stopped the whole concept of Macedonia as "Old Serbia" or
"South Serbia" in any form and just tired to have a nice relationship
with their Orthodox compatriots. Meanwhile, I'll do anything I can do
to help the unfortunate Orthodox of Kosovo remain in place and take
their multiethnic place. And some of the bishops there are real sweet
fellows. While driving them around for a few hours in Washington a
couple years ago when Bishop Artemije was visiting, they were going
through my containers of tapes in the car. What did they choose to
listen to? The Serbian tapes I had in the car? But no. One of the
monks even pretended to throw up - fake gagging - when he saw a tape of
Cece. They all chose to listen to Macedonian folk music. Alexksandar
Sarievska, Vaska Ilieva, the Ohrid men's group, etc. etc. and, moreover,
sang along happily. They all knew the words What some few will
politicize to their advantage is kinda nice and easy for others. Why a
nice monk like Sava Janjic would want to politicize the SOC attempts to
take over the MOC which it has never owned except under force and
temporary agreement during the first decade or so of Yugoslavia - this
is a mystery and a provocation. Aren't there enough problems with
maintaining any at all Serbian cultural presence in Kosovo? Is this how
he tries to help the Kosovo Serbs?
I remember when the KLA blew up the monastery at Leshok, site of a
church rebuilt by Kiril Pejchinovic, one of the first clerics to publish
a book in Macedonian, a Malo Trebnik and book of instructions on
Orthodoxy called Ogledalo. His grave is there, with his self written
epitaph, the first modern Macedonian poem. Within the week of its
getting blown up, and Kiril gravestone wrecked as well on purpose, and
UChK-KLA spray painted on the side of a deer carcus caught in the
explosion. Patriarch Pavle issues a note concerning the sad loss of
this "Serbian" ediface. A website went up mourning the loss of the west
Bulgarian monastery and church. The Albanian nationalists circulated a
theory that the No one of the pristine religious nationalists
surrounding felt sad for the Macedonians' losses but only used the
opportunity to misutilize the events of the paramilitary incursions by
hegemonial claims, one way or another]
There were instances where we passed the border with no problems, so my
impression is that every officer could decide whether to implement it or
not. This was used frequently to humiliate the clerics of the SOC, who
had to wait a long time for "consultations with Skopje",
[My favorite one of these consultations was when a buncha clerics
attempted to cross the border from Serbia during the Milosevic regime,
claiming hegemony over the Macedonian OC. Archbishop Mihail declared
them persona non grata and basically stated that the MOC would accept no
chetnik priests with Greater Serbian claims on Macedonia, that Macedonia
is a peaceful country ]
only to hear that they had to take off their vestments. My personal
opinion is that one of the reasons for this 'measure' is an attempt to
prevent Serbian priests from ministering to Serbian nationals, believers
in northern Macedonia who wanted church services in their language and
without the interference of 'macedonian national ideology' via the
Church."
[gimme a break. These "Serbian nationals" are the Serbian Macedonian
minority, i.e. Serbian MACEDONIAN nationals. They are Macedonians of
Serbian descent. They all speak Macedonian and Serbian. No big
problemo unless someone wants to make trouble.]
[The ideology of the Macedonian Orthodox Church is that nationalism is
contrary to Orthodoxy . It's a religion. The religion is presented in
a number of languages, none beter than another. No need for western
hierarchical and nationalistic politics]
The Mascedonian state news agency reported on 10 July
that "The MOC will request state institutions to ban Vranisskovski from
wearing the priest's wardrobe, as he was discharged and because a
Serbian priest is notallowed to perform religious services in
Macedonia." MOC Bishop Timotej stated that the "Macedonian Church will
urge the relevant authorities to make sure that Zoran Vranisskovski
never wears the insignia of a priest or bishop," adding that
Vranisskovski does not have the right to the post of Serbian vicar in
Macedonia. "According to the Holy Orthodox Christiancanons, Zoran can
not switch to any other Orthodox Church unless his mother church, i.e.
the Macedonian Orthodox Church, agrees to it."
[We here in America recently had to wait for a release of a Bulgarian
priest from his archdiocese in Bulgaria before having him be our preist
here in America. This is normal stuff. This is one way to tell if the
priest you want has been in trouble elsewhere. One Orhtodox churhc in
America took in a priest from another jurisdiction. It wasn't until
some of the children were molested and families had to go through
permanent grief that it was found he had the same problem elsewhere.
Getting a release is always a good idea]
The Macedonian Orthodox Church is not recognised by any other Orthodox
Church.
[The success of politics instead of religion is shown by this sad fact.
Maybe it's better that way, to stay out of politics because politics is
what got it isolated in the first place. The Church in Macedonia is
very normal ]
The SOC told Forum 18 on 21 July that "all
indications are that this is all according to an earlier prepared
scenario, in order for the SOC, its hierarchy and the faithful people
to be prevented from performing their world wide recognised religious
rights."
[Orthodoxy recognizes the rights of bishops in their locle to make
decisions whether visiting bishops or priests will participate in their
dioceses. It's ben that way since the first century. Why should the
SOC have more rights than granted presbyters in the first century? Why,
especially, should SOC have hegemonial rights?]
Serbian Prime minister Zoran Zivkovic stated on
22July 2003 that "There is no reason to deny to representatives of any
church or religious community the fundamental human right to the freedom
of movement if they have valid travel documents," noting that this
might be a political act, rather than an act of customs or police
offices.
[nobody is denying freedom of movement. They are just denying the
wearing of clothing that might confuse the public into thinking they had
the right to perform various religious acts on the territory. A foreign
church does not have hegemonial rights in foreign terirtory. This is
no different than asking the public not to dress like policemen if they
ahve no right ot publically carry the same weapons as the local police,
or to make arrests]
The Serbian and Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs and the
Serbian Minister of Religion will protest to the Macedonianauthorities
about the ban on SOC representatives entering Macedonia in their
clerical vestments."
[Let's all give a round of applause to the Montenegrin Orthodox Church,
nothing against the Serbian Orthodox Church, per se, just that
Montenegrins should have the right to their own church as a century
ago. May it live long and prosper. And let's get real about which
Montenegrin support in the church is there. People don't like
nationalism served up with communion. It is strange to go to a church
that has a huge flag with CCCC draped all over its facade. Kinda diverts
the eye from the cross on top
Galina]
S.P.
There is no such thing.According to all orthodox churches.
> nothing against the Serbian Orthodox Church, per se, just that
> Montenegrins should have the right to their own church as a century
> ago.
???????????
May it live long and prosper. And let's get real about which
> Montenegrin support in the church is there. People don't like
> nationalism served up with communion.
You have a lot to learn.Every orthodox church is a national church.
It is strange to go to a church
> that has a huge flag with CCCC draped all over its facade. Kinda diverts
> the eye from the cross on top
Just to those who do not see the cross at all.
> Galina
Who are you Galina,where do you live?How can you discuss things you don't
know at all?
If Jehowa witness wants to enter Macedonia does hge or her has to denounce
his/hers religion?If Serbs in Macedonia want their own priests it is their
right to have them?Something to do with human rights?
P.S.you do hate Serbs, don't you?
Max
"Church_slaviano_serbian" language all over the ortodox world in
former Yugoslavia. Since 19th centry and Vuk's language reforms SOC
slowly drifted to common language with some remainings of old
vocabular (which apear to be original Slavs terms).
The Ortodox monasteries and churches in Macedonia are built by serbian
lords in the middle ages, since entire Macedonia was a part of Serbian
kingdom. Trough the ages they attended the services in a church which
was called SERBIAN Ortodox church, just as somebody attend services in
Rimocatholic, despite he/she is not an Italian ... and here in Serbia
we really have no problems with Macedonians (actualy I may say that we
LIKE each-other), just with few persons within the govermental and
church structures. Some Macedonian episcope carrierist wants to become
a Patriarch, with a strong support of some political people who see
another instrument of people control in him. On the other side S.O.C.
wants to have to keep the control over its religious objects as it
had it for centries, and it is supported by Serbian minority, or if I
may say by those people who are still calling themselves "Serbs"
instead of declaring as "Macedonians".
I still think, and all of my Macedonian friends backed that up, that
they made a huge misstake by separation since they were in deep
trouble from the begining. Anyway we will see our brothers again when
we all join the EU :-)
It is definetly not a problem in language, I mean ortodox Gypsies in
Serbia can have the servings in their own language, even the prayers
are translated, just a political daily "point picking", and silent war
for control over the masses.
And a small lesson of history: The word Serbs came from "Sorabi" which
means "Our people" in old Slavian language, and all Slav originating
nations in the Balkans were calling themselves that way.
Max