Bishop Artemije Demands Excavation at Monastery Be Stopped

Bishop Artemije demands that excavation works be stopped‏
From: Diocese of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija (info@eparhija-prizren.com)

April 28, 2009.

Source: Diocese of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija


COMMUNIQUE



BISHOP ARTEMIJE DEMANDS THAT EXCAVATION WORKS BE STOPPED



Usurpation of property rights at Monastery Graèanica





Without knowledge or permission of His Grace Artemije, Bishop of Raška-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, work is in progress on the excavation for pylons of the aerial power distribution network on the property of Monastery Graèanica. The work is being carried out by illegal institutions in Kosovo-Metohija.



In addition to violating internationally recognized property rights and threatening the safety of a religious and cultural site of exceptional significance for the Republic of Serbia, a site, moreover, included in the List of cultural monuments and natural heritage of the world, this act shows the extent of lawlessness which weighs heavily on Kosovo-Metohija.



Bishop Artemije has written to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Mr. Zanier, demanding the immediate stoppage of works and initiating proceedings against person or persons responsible for the usurpation of the Monastery property.



Bishop Artemije has also written to the Minister of Mining and Power of the Republic of Serbia, Dr. Škundriæ expecting urgent intervention on the part of that Ministry.

Patriarch Pavle's Paschal Epistle

Patriarchal Paschal Encyclical 2009 p. 1 of 5
The Serbian Orthodox Church to her spiritual children at Pascha, 2009
P A V L E
By the grace of God
Orthodox Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch, with the all the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church – to all the clergy, monastics, and all the sons and daughters of our Holy Church: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, with the joyous Paschal greeting:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
INDEED HE IS RISEN!
“Let us call ‘Brothers’ even those who hate us’
and forgive all by the resurrection.”
(Paschal hymn)
This year as well during these spring days, dear brothers and sisters, with the same joy we celebrate the greatest Feast Day of God’s Church, the Resurrection of Christ the Savior. Every year at this time, when the mysterious force of life awakens deadened nature, the glory of the Resurrected Lord awakens even in us a brighter, more holy and happier life. Today exalted thoughts spring forth, wonderful feelings are born, and a holy and extraordinary disposition overcomes us. With the resurrected Lord we also are raised up into a higher and more meaningful life. The victorious bliss of eternal life given to us by our Resurrected Redeemer and Savior shines forth in our hearts. Just as in that mysterious beginning at God’s Word the world was called into existence, and in the world life, so in like manner by His Divine power the Son of God, Jesus Christ, resurrected from the dead. This great event is mystical as is the creation of the world; it is miraculous and exalted as a real song of joy resounding throughout all God’s creation. Moreover, as the fulfillment of the first creation and as a new creation, it is even more miraculous and greater than the first creation and than all historical events.
Many centuries separate us from that bright Jerusalem dawn, when the holy Myrrhbearing women beheld the empty tomb. They came to anoint the dead body of their Teacher; to pour their tears upon it and to warm up the cold stones of the grave with their love, their faithfulness and devotion. They were at the cross of the Crucified Savior when all, except His Mother and one of the disciples, forsook Him. Even from a distance they followed the last moments of the greatest Teacher.
Patriarchal Paschal Encyclical 2009 p. 2 of 5
They did not forsake Him even when He died. That is why they were made worthy to be the first witnesses and the first messengers of the Resurrection; the first celebrants of the new life in the Resurrected Lord. Today the tender admonition uttered to the women by the Lord’s angel from the stone at the tomb resonates in our ears: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen!” (Luke 24:5-6) And the frightened women, there in the garden where the tomb was, were the first ones to meet the Resurrected Lord. He sent them to Galilee to tell the disciples and to gladden them with the joyous news that they too would see Him (cf. Mark 16:7). And behold, dear children of God, this Resurrectional joy of ours today comes from that meeting with the Resurrected Lord, Who resurrected for us and instilled the joy of new life in all His followers and all the confessors of His Divine knowledge.
In the same way, the centuries separate us from the twilight of that Jerusalem day when the Resurrected Lord appeared to His followers, Cleopas and the other disciple. Frightened, they were hurrying from Jerusalem to Emmaus, so as to hide because of fear of the Jews. Even though they were not as courageous as the myrrhbearing women, they were made worthy of meeting with the Resurrected Lord. He hid His former image so that they could not recognize Him. But when He left them after a conversation about that which had taken place in Jerusalem and after the breaking of the bread, they confessed to one another how “their hearts were burning” while He was with them (cf. Luke 24:13-32). That same holy flame that burned in the hearts of Christ’s two disciples on the road to Emmaus burns even today in us as we celebrate this Feast of Feasts, as we too experience a spiritual meeting with the invisible Vanquisher of death. That same fire warmed and warms God’s Church in every period of her history. Did He not Himself say: “I have come to send fire upon the earth” (Luke 12: 49). That same holy fire warmed our ancestors and enlightened their lives in the dungeons of other centuries. They lived without homes for a long time, without homesteads, without freedom, in extreme insecurity, without possessions and property, as do many today who have been forced to leave their homesteads, but always with faith in the resurrected Lord, with the faith in the victory of justice and truth and with faith in the resurrection.
Furthermore, long centuries separate us from that first resurrectional evening, when the Resurrected Lord for the first time appeared to His frightened and disappointed disciples, and uttered a greeting of encouragement: “Peace be unto you!” (John 20:19). In an instant He returned peace to them, resurrecting their faith in Him and in His Divine dispensation. If the Son of God did not rise again, the history of Christianity would have been finished with His last words on the Cross: “It is finished!” (John 20:30). But He did rise again, and in the name of that truth His disciples joyfully gave up their lives for Him. Bearing this great truth, His
Patriarchal Paschal Encyclical 2009 p. 3 of 5
Church has gone into victorious battle throughout the world, that without shedding blood she may conquer her numerous armed-to-the-teeth enemies.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5), the angel of the Lord admonished the holy Myrrhbearing Women who came to the tomb, as you have heard. They came to the tomb thirsty for truth and eternal life. And today millions and millions of spiritually impoverished and morally ravaged people, enthralled with the grandeur of passing things, live in this world as in a cold tomb. Is the world not becoming a factory and a market place of false brilliance and passing values? Is it not often said today that a man can walk peacefully upon this earth without heaven? It is as if contemporary man has climbed the heights of his Babylonian tower, confident in his own knowledge, but he is often petty, selfish, aggressive, and full of evil intentions that threaten his tower and his survival. We are afraid that this our civilization will too late remember Christ’s words: “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Our Savior became man so that we might become divine. He was willing to die on the cross in order to save mankind from their sins. He rose again from the dead in order to give us eternal life. He made death just another event in life – a life that knows no end. When Pilate judged the Savior, he had neither the spiritual strength nor the elevated mind to recognize in Him the Son of God. Despite all of this, the beauty of the human image of the suffering Savior could not be hidden before his eyes as he pronounced his sentence: “Behold, the man!” –to Jesus’ accusers (John 19:5). With this he attempted to influence, as much as possible, the conscience of the insensible murderers of Christ. He believed that His human brilliance would waver some of them.
We pray to our Resurrected Lord that in us may be resurrected the image of the original human nature, which today oftentimes is distorted, masked and smeared with numerous faults and sins. We pray that in us everyone may recognize people enlightened with His eternal life, be they wealthy or poor, be they in a great or small position or place. Our time is currently faced with a material crisis, but we currently face a greater crisis, that of morals and character. We will rejoice if everyone who looks upon us can say: Here is a man! – so that everyone, friend or enemy, judge or accuser, may identify in us a true and authentic human being. Let us, dear brothers and sisters, preserve our human dignity, which was so exalted by our Resurrected Son of God. Let us preserve faith in the Resurrected Lord, love towards our neighbors, and truth and justice; a love towards everything good for which people yearn, but which without the help of the Resurrected Lord and His Gospel is not achievable. Let us pray to the Resurrected Lord and let us implore Him, as did the two disciples who traveled on the road to Emmaus, to stay with us. Let us pray that we may rejoice in Him; that we may draw strength from Him; that
Patriarchal Paschal Encyclical 2009 p. 4 of 5
we may be spiritually raised on high, so that we may not be overcome and carried away by the muddy floodwaters of our times.
Conveying this our message to all of our brothers and sisters, and most especially remembering today our faithful in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as our faithful worldwide, on all continents where Serbian Orthodox and all Orthodox Christians today celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, we, your Patriarch and all the Hierarchs of the Serbian Church, greet you with the greeting of Joy and New Life,
Christ Is Risen!
Indeed He Is Risen!
Given at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade at Pascha 2009.
Your prayerful intercessors before the Risen Lord:
Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch PAVLE with all the hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana JOVAN Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Coastlands AMPHILOHIJE Metropolitan of Midwestern America CHRISTOPHER Metropolitan of Dabro-Bosna NIKOLAJ
Bishop of Sabac-Valjevo LAVRENTIJE Bishop of Nis IRINEJ Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla VASILIJE Bishop of Srem VASILIJE Bishop of Banja Luka JEFREM Bishop of Budim LUKIJAN Bishop of Canada GEORGIJE Bishop of Banat NIKANOR Bishop for America and Canada of the New Gracanica Metropolitanate LONGIN Bishop of Eastern America MITROPHAN Bishop of Zica CHRYSOSTOM Bishop of Backa IRINEJ Bishop of Great Britain and Scandinavia DOSITEJ Bishop of Ras and Prizren ARTEMIJE Bishop of Bihac and Petrovac CHRYSOSTOM Bishop of Osijek and Baranja LUKIJAN Bishop of Central Europe CONSTANTINE Bishop of Western Europe LUKA Bishop of Timok JUSTIN Bishop of Vranje PAHOMIJE Bishop of Sumadija JOVAN Bishop of Slavonia SAVA
Patriarchal Paschal Encyclical 2009 p. 5 of 5
Bishop of Branicevo IGNATIJE Bishop of Milesevo FILARET Bishop of Dalmatia FOTIJE Bishop of Budimlje and Niksic JOANIKIJE Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina GRIGORIJE Bishop of Valjevo MILUTIN
Bishop of Western America MAXIM Bishop of Gornji Karlovac GERASIM
Bishop of Australia and New Zealand IRINEJ
Retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina ATANASIJE Vicar Bishop of Hvostno ATANASIJE Vicar Bishop of Jegar PORFIRIJE Vicar Bishop of Lipljan TEODOSIJE Vicar Bishop of Dioclea JOVAN Vicar Bishop of Moravica ANTONIJE
THE ARCHDIOCESE OF OCHRID Archbishop of Ochrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje JOVAN Bishop of Polos and Kumanovo JOAKIM Bishop of Bregal and locum tenens of the Diocese of Bitolj MARKO
Vicar Bishop of Stobija David
[Path of Orthodoxy translation

Serb Organs Taken By Albanians

Kosovo Albanians tortured Serb civilians
Apr 10, 2009
Former camp prisoner said that the military wing of the Kosovo Albanian separatist government that has been recognized by some western states was involved in torturing civilians in order to sell their organs, reports BBC.

An ethnic Albanian, the former prisoner of the camp at Kukes, in northeastern Albania close to the border with the Serbian province of Kosovo, told the BBC that he witnessed the ethnic Albanian forces torture Serbs to extract their organs while they were claiming to the western press to be victims of an alleged genocide by Serbia.

The man’s testimony was made to the BBC under condition he remained unidentified because he fears that he and his family will be killed by other Albanians.

“His family are terrified for his life,” wrote the BBC of the ethnic Albanian witness who saw the organized separatist Albanian torture of Serbs.

This is the first testimony that the western media has directly linked the current Kosovo Albanian separatist government in this Serbian province with vice such as organ trade that ethnic Albanian separatist have been implicated in.

“Sources told the BBC that Kosovo Serbs… were among an estimated 2,000 who went missing,” wrote the BBC.

BBC wrote that the so-called prime minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, has denied the evidence of involvement in the organized organ trade of Serb bodies.

“Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, the former KLA political director, has rejected the allegations,” wrote the BBC.

Most Western powers have recognized the proclamation of independence that these allegedly organ trading ethnic Albanian leaders in Kosovo have made.

The Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari wrote a UN-rejected plan that was seeking to force Serbia to accept a loss of its sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

“When a person is mistreated… he cries out ‘oh mother’ in his own language,” said the Albanian source who heard Serbs being tortured by the Kosovo separatist government forces.

The beatings of Serbs were done in the night.

“The nights were very quiet, so you could hear them crying out… while they were being beaten, or afterwards.” told the witness to the BBC.

Separatists in Kosovo have said that they will assist the EU investigation into the organ trade claiming that they are in no way implicated.

April 10, 2009
SERBIANNA

Tags: Kosovo

No Surrender

NEMA PREDAJE



Omladina Cikaga , sa sajtom "Cikaski Srbi", organizuje Vaskrsnju humanitarnu akciju za pomoc Srbima na Kosmetu pod nazivom Nema predaje uz blagoslov Srpske pravoslavne crkve. Planira se da akcija krene 10-og aprila 2009 .

Cilj akcije je sakupljanje novca za pomoc Srbima na Kosmetu, kao i budjenje nacionalne svesti kod Srba u Americi.

Plan ove humanitarne akcije je da se na jednostavan i efikasan nacin prikupi novac distribucijom silikonskih narukvica u bojama srpske trobojke sa natpisom : KOSOVO IS SERBIA ! www.NemaPredaje.net . Za to nam treba hiljadu pojedinaca koji bi svojom donacijom od 10 dolara podrzali ovu akciju i time pomogli one kojima je pomoc najpotrebnija – nasim Srbima na Kosmetu. Narukvice bi trebalo da se distribuiraju uz pomoc crkve, srpskih biznisa u Americi i internet prezentacija. Rezultati akcije ce biti objavljeni na internet stranici nase akcije “ Nema predaje” kao i fotografije sa Kosmeta kada se novac bude predavao.

Za vise informacija pogledajte sajt www.NemaPredaje.Net i www.CikaskiSrbi.com ,
kontakt E-Mail: info@NemaPredaje.net



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NO SURRENDER



Serbian youth of Chicago, together with the website "Cikaski Srbi" (Chicago Serbs) is starting Easter Charity action to help the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija under the title " No Surrender-Nema Predaje" with blessing of the Serbian Orthodox Church. This action begins on 10th of April 2009.

The Purpose of action is to collect money to help the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,and a revival of national consciousness of the Serbs in America.

The humanitarian plan of this action is a simple and effective way to collect money by distribution of silicone bracelets in colors of Serbian flag with the inscription: KOSOVO IS SERBIA! www.NemaPredaje.net . For this action we need thousand of individuals with their donation of 10 dollars to support this action and help those who help need the most - our Serbs in Kosovo. Bracelets should be distributed with the help of the church, the Serbian businesses in the United States and Website presentations. Results of action will be published on the web page of our actions, "No Surrender" as well as photos from Kosovo when the money is donated.

For more information, see the website www.NemaPredaje.Net and www.ChicagoSerbs.info ,
E-Mail: info@NemaPredaje.net

Serbs in Kosovo Not Allowed to Worship In Reconstructed Churches?

April 14, 2009.

Source: Diocese of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija



The Diocese of Ras-Prizren On the reconstruction of holy sites in accordance with the Memorandum



Reconstruction under the Memorandum gives no legal rights

participating factors



In the pogrom which the Albanians carried out against the Serbian people and Serbian cultural patrimony on March 17 and 18, 2004 Serbian Orthodox sites, churches and monasteries owned by the Diocese of Ras-Prizren were either damaged or destroyed at thirty four separate locations all over Kosovo and Metohija.

In 2005, in accordance with the Memorandum of understanding, signed by the Patriarch of Serbia and so-called the Minister of Culture from Prishtina, the process of reconstruction of these holy places began and is still in progress.

In view of the fact that, as foreseen by the Memorandum, a number of heterogeneous factors are participating in this reconstruction, that the sources of financing are also heterogeneous and that the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church has accepted several of the sites as completed, the Diocese of Ras-Prizren finds it imperative to make the following facts known to the public.



All the sites included in the process of reconstruction according to the Memorandum were so included without the permission of the Diocese of Ras-Prizren, which is the rightful owner of said sites.

Work on the reconstruction of the Episcopal Palace in Prizren, done without the permission of the Diocese, rightful owner of the sites, has permanently prevented all investors in the reconstruction of the structure from exercising their right to use the sites or any part thereof. All other entities engaged in reconstruction pursuant to the Memorandum are equally prevented from exercising said rights.

The reconstruction of said sites, carried out without the permission of the Diocese, cannot be used by financiers, or other entities engaged in reconstruction according to the Memorandum, as the basis for entering these sites, or any part thereof, in any court register or any property/land register in regard to the funds invested by them for purposes of said reconstruction.

Since the day of the signing of the Memorandum, the fact presented above, namely that reconstruction work was being done without the permission of the rightful owner of the sites together with the implications thereof, has been repeatedly brought to the notice of church and state institutions, as well as institutions of the international community.

A commission appointed by Bishop Artemije in February 2009 has inspected the holy places, which the Holy Synod of Bishops had accepted on September 15, 2008 as reconstructed, and has subimtted a detailed report on them.



Press Department of the Diocese of Ras-Prizren