Bishops’ Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church

BISHOPS’ COUNCIL OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

The Sacred Bishops’ Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church took place on September 23-24 in Beograd presided over by His Holiness Pavle, Patriarch of Serbia.

The Council once again confirmed its willingness to grant “the widest autonomy both to the Orthodox Church in Macedonia and the renewed Archdiocese of Ohrid on the terms of the Nis draft project” which was signed by the members of the joint Serbian and Macedonian Bishops’ commission in May 2002. The participants in the Council expressed their regret about the decision of the Holy Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church to relieve Metropolitan Jovan of Veles and Povardar from the administration of his diocese “only because he resumed liturgical and canonical communication with the Serbian Orthodox Church as well as with the Orthodox Pleroma.” The Council appointed Metropolitan Jovan Exarch of the Patriarch of Serbia. At the same time, the Council expressed the consent of the Serbian Orthodox Church to “continue fraternal dialogue with Orthodox bishops in the Republic of Macedonia in order to overcome the schism.” The Macedonian issue will be discussed during the next Bishops’ Council to be held in 2002.

The Council also considered various issues of church education. In particular, it decided to reorganize and renew curricula for theological schools and seminaries. The participants expressed their satisfaction with the fact that the teaching of religion had started in schools of the Respublika Sprska, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia.

Moreover, the Bishops’ Council expressed its serious concern about the continuing violations of fundamental human rights of the Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohia urging the world community to do its best to restore peace and justice in the region.

Archpastors of the Serbian Orthodox Church expressed their hope that the forthcoming elections in Serbia and Montenegro would promote peace and stabilization both in this newly established state community and in Europe on the whole. See also: · Official site of the Serbian Orthodox Church