Dear Friends
Today's media report that Vladika Artemije has returned to Kosovo and Metohija and served Liturgy at the Duboki Potok Monastery. As I indicated in my message of November 12, Vladika had written to his brother Bishops on October 13 stating the canonical basis for his authority over the Eparchy of Ras and Prizren and the uncanonical nature of the actions taken against him earlier this year. Now, with his return to Kosovo, with the support of the Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija led by Milan Ivanović and Dragan Velić, and he has resumed effective exercise of his episcopacy. As will be noted further below, little has appeared in the English-language media that is not completely slanted by "yellow" anti-Artemije perspective. One partial exception is today's article "Bishop's Followers In Two Kosovo Monasteries," fromB92. While also including the slant found elsewhere, it also carries some of Vladika Artemije's own words about the current situation: "We are gathered here to lay a new foundation, to bring back order, peace and unity into the Raška-Prizren Eparchy, which has been going through a Golgotha for the past nine months." "We have not separated from anyone, we are no schismatics, and we are not creating anything new. We are simply striving to maintain what our glorious forefathers and ancestors have left us," said Artemije. The bishop said that he expected new attacks against him and the monks loyal to him, but that he felt no fear. "Every new beginning is difficult, every awakening comes from the desert, and this is one of those deserts of ours, where we are gathered now. Instead of in the church, in the temple of God, we are here at this narrow table, because those who have the power have ordered that we cannot enter the church," said he, and compared today's service to those held by early Christians. "Temples are certainly consecrated places for religious service, but in a predicament even the Roman catacombs were holy places. Let us guard our faith and unity with the Holy and Apostolic Church, and then God will bless our homes, our villages and towns, our Kosovo and Metohija, and our whole country," Artemije said. Vladika Artemije's simple and direct statements should be compared to the following "yellow" tirades (emphasis added initalics): "AformerSerbian Orthodox Church bishop in Kosovo has broken into a monastery to hold a liturgy despite his retirement, openly clashing with the church leadership. The dispute between ex-Bishop Artemije and the church leaders reflects thedivisions between the moderates and the hardliners.Artemije is staunchly anti-Western and conservative." [Associated Press, "Ex-Kosovo bishop breaks into monastery [sic!] to hold liturgy disobeying Serbian Orthodox church," Nov 19] "The divided Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) came under further pressure Friday from arenegade bishop, whooccupied a Kosovo monastery on Friday and performed a service indefiance of the church's orders, local media reported. . . . In February, the SPC forced Bishop Artemije into retirement, stripping him of authority over the Kosovo eparchy because of his questionable business dealings and 'inability to govern.' Concerned that Artemije and his supporters from thechurch's radical wing could scupper a fragile unity in the church the SPC leadership also banned him from holding services. . . . Accompanied by a group ofradical monks who support him, Artemije on Friday entered the Zubin Potok monastery in northern Kosovo and performed liturgy, directly challenging the SPC. With its assembly still in session, the SPC had yet to respond to Artemije's move. The SPC is divided over several important issues,including relations with the Vatican, ties to renegade Orthodox churches in Macedonia and Montenegro and how services should be performed. [Deutsche Presse-Agentur, "Disgraced Kosovo bishop launches mutiny against Serbian church," Nov 19] So there we have it: Far from "simply striving to maintain what our glorious forefathers and ancestors have left us," in Vladika Artemije's words, his actions are those of a "disgraced" "renegade" "former" Bishop supported by evil Serb "hardliners" and "radicals," like Milan Ivanović and Dragan Velić, who, like him, are "staunchly anti-Western and conservative," and oppose "moderates" with respect to "relations with the Vatican, ties to renegade Orthodox churches in Macedonia and Montenegro and how services should be performed" -- also, it hardly needs to be added,opposing Western policy on Kosovo. The above comparisons make crystal clear the truth of the conclusion to my last message: All we can say for sure at this juncture is the following: First, that the uncanonical and invalid attempt to discredit and remove Vladika Artemije –which any simpleton can see has, literally, nothing to do with allegations of supposed misconduct and everything to do with trying to eliminate a pillar of the Orthodox Church and the Serbian nation –continues unabated and indeed is intensifying. Second, that this attempt is politically motivated and includes collaborators both inside and outside the Church. Third, that its aim is further to demoralize the Serbian Orthodox Church as the last bastion of the national spirit uncorrupted by the ill wind blowing from Washington and Brussels and to remove the most important impediment to the West’s contemplated “final solution” to Kosovo and Metohija. Vladika Artemije has now "called out" those behind the efforts to remove him at the behest of anti-Church and anti-Serbia agendas. The big "impediment" to Washington's "final solution" for Kosovo is back! We all need to watch closely and with a critical eye their reactions. Most of all, we call on the Christian Serbian people of Kosovo and Metohija to protect Bishop Artemije from the inevitable next stage of provocation: an effort by NATO, EULEX, or "KosovA" police to remove him forcibly. James George Jatras Director, American Council for Kosovo Washington November 19, 2010 +1.202.375.1007 http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy%253D2010%2526mm%253D11%2526dd%253D19%2526nav_id%253D70983%26version%3Dprint <http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy%253D2010%2526mm%253D11%2526dd%253D19%2526nav_id%253D70983%26version%3Dprint&version=print> &version=print Bishop's followers in two Kosovo monasteries 19 November 2010 | 11:24 ->12:59| Source: TanjugZUBIN POTOK -- Retired Bishop Artemije served liturgy at a SPC monastery in Kosovo today, despite the Holy Synod's decision to prohibit him from performing his priest duties. About 50 monks and believers who support him arrived to the Duboki Potok monastery during the night and this morning. During Friday, Artemije's followers also occupied the Devine Vode monastery in northern Kosovo. Artemije's replacement Teodosije, appointed yesterday in Belgrade, is said to have urgently returned to the province. Priors from several other monasteries in Kosovo came to Duboki Potok this morning, and the ceremony went without incidents or problems, according to reports. Bishop Artemije arrived to the monastery last night, accompanied by monks who support him, and was greeted by the faithful. The decision to go to Duboki Potok followed after the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) appointed Bishop Teodosije as new administrator of the Raška-Prizren Eparchy instead of Bishop Artemije. Bishop Artemije refuses to accept the decision and claims that it is not canonical. Artemije was forced to retire because of allegations that one of his advisors defrauded the eparchy, and was first temporarily forbidden to perform his duties as a priest at the previous assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). Today in Duboki Potok, the retired bishop addressed after the service those who attended: "We are gathered here to lay a new foundation, to bring back order, peace and unity into the Raška-Prizren Eparchy, which has been going through a Golgotha for the past nine months." "We have not separated from anyone, we are no schismatics, and we are not creating anything new. We are simply striving to maintain what our glorious forefathers and ancestors have left us," said Artemije. The bishop said that he expected new attacks against him and the monks loyal to him, but that he felt no fear. "Every new beginning is difficult, every awakening comes from the desert, and this is one of those deserts of ours, where we are gathered now. Instead of in the church, in the temple of God, we are here at this narrow table, because those who have the power have ordered that we cannot enter the church," said he, and compared today's service to those held by early Christians. "Temples are certainly consecrated places for religious service, but in a predicament even the Roman catacombs were holy places. Let us guard our faith and unity with the Holy and Apostolic Church, and then God will bless our homes, our villages and towns, our Kosovo and Metohija, and our whole country," Artemije said. The abbot of the monastery, Romilo, first refused to hand Artemije over the keys, but his monk Kiprijan threatened the abbot, "and took two cell phones, and keys to one cell and his car", said the eparchy in its statement, adding that Romilo was "to all intents and purposes a hostage, because Artemije's followers to all intents and purposes occupied the monastery". Father Romilo was in his cell, did not attend the service, and did not wish to speak to reporters. Meanwhile in Belgrade, SPC sources told B92 that the bishop will likely be defrocked today, "since he has followed in the footsteps of Miraš Dedeić, the so-called metropolitan of the canonically unrecognized Montenegrin Orthodox Church". Church: Attempt at usurpation In the meantime, administrations of the Raška-Prizren Eparchy and Kosovo-Metohija Eparchy has issued an announcement, stating that retired Bishop Artemije’s intent to serve today at the Duboki potok monastery represents "usurpation". The eparchy says that Artemije came to the monastery last night unannounced "together with a group of runaway monks and a group of activists of so-called Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija led by Milan Ivanović and Dragan Velić, without knowledge and blessing of the SPC Holy Assembly of Bishops". The announcement adds that Bishop Artemije "is retired and that every unauthorized serving of liturgy and abuse of SPC premises represents the crudest violation of the church canon and rules". The Raška-Prizren Eparchy has announced that the clergy of the eparchy and monks living in the eparchy monasteries are completely loyal to their newly appointed administrator Bishop Teodosije who is supported by the Holy Assembly of Bishops and Patriarch Irinej.
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