September 2010: Serbia

September 2010: Serbia

Dear Friends,

The last report about your pilgrims left them cycling along the Danube River in eastern Croatia. They then crossed the border into Serbia. The first impression was of friendliness. However, there was also an impression of poverty, especially in the small cities and big towns. We then started cycling up the Fruška Gora (Фрушка гора)—a holy mountain with many monasteries and a national park--and we visited the women’s monastery at Beočin (Беочин).

Our first night in Serbia was a bit difficult, and we did not have an undisturbed night in the tent. However, we returned to the monastery the next morning. During church services, we heartily thanked God for His protection the night before. After breakfast we cycled through the Fruška Gora National Park to Šišatovac (Шишатовац) Monastery. It was there that we met Bishop Artemije and a number of monks living with him. They received us with kindness and holy hospitality. We greatly appreciated not only their friendliness, but also the many earnest conversations we had with the monks there.

The bishop was—and apparently still is—at the center of a storm of controversy within the Serbian Orthodox Church. Later, we were to hear many accusations against him. However, our first, unprejudiced impression of him was of a kind, elderly gentleman. Although he held himself with episcopal dignity, he was approachable (he spoke perfect Greek), simple and lived in very modest surroundings. The church there was still in a state of disrepair, having been damaged during the Second World War. The monks were living five to a cell for lack of space and they shared one old automobile among them. We also experienced heartfelt, holy hospitality in the monastery and were deeply moved not only by the pious devotion and warmth of the monks, but also by their great sense of humor.

One other thing made a deep impression on us. Many people travelled to Šišatovac for church services, sometimes making difficult and expensive trips from all over the country. One could feel the intensity of their prayers as they stood long hours during the services.

When we were there, the Synod—the governing body of the Serbian Orthodox Church—had removed Artemije as bishop of Kosovo-Metochia. Although various unproven allegations were made against him, the basic disagreement appears to have been over his outspoken stance regarding Kosovo. His position was that Kosovo should remain part of the Republic of Serbia, and that a form of government similar to that in Switzerland should be established, guaranteeing the rights of the ethnic groups and local autonomy on issues of education, religion, culture and local administration.

He spoke out against the ongoing expulsion of ethnic Serbs from Kosovo, and against the harassment of those remaining. He protested against the destruction, after the war, of some 150 churches under the protection of U.S. and European military forces. He decried the murder of Serbs and Albanians and the sale of their organs by ethnic Albanian militia leaders two years before this scandal hit the newspapers. Perhaps above all, regardless of whatever mistakes he may or may not have made , he stood as the most visible reminder that Kosovo-Metochia is the homeland of the spiritual heart of Serbia.

We have been informed that Artemije was recently ordered defrocked as priest and bishop by the Synod. He has stated publicly that he holds this act to be both uncanonical and illegal.

After leaving Šišatovac we started riding towards Belgrade, the capital city. Along the way, we met refugees from the post-Yugoslavia era wars and many people who were unemployed or underemployed, largely due to the war and the destruction of so much industry during the bombing in 1999. The friendliness and hospitality we met were heartwarming. However, the conditions for bicycling in Belgrade (except for some trails along the rivers) were (far) less than ideal.

While in Belgrade, two Orthodox sisters took us under their wings. In addition to arranging for our lodging and helping us with all practical details, they brought us to remarkable temples and monuments, like the church of St. Petka (Paraskevi) and the immense cathedral of St. Sava the patron saint of Serbs. We also met a kind, well-educated young woman working in a natural food store. She told us that jobs are very hard to come by, and that without connections, it is impossible for her to find work in the field she trained for. However, she said that she did not mind the financial and other hardships of her life in Belgrade. As long as there is no more bombing and no more war, she told us, she can accept all the other difficulties.

It would be too much to recount all of our meetings and experiences in central Serbia. However, one of the highlights was Čačak (Чачак). We stayed with Tatiana, an English school teacher we had met, her father who is a hobby bee keeper and her mother, who cooked like a fine hotel chef, both in quality and quantity. The Ovčar-Kablar Gorge (Овчарско-кабларска клисура) on the Morava River is nearby. This is often called the Serbian Mount Athos because of the many ancient monasteries there and the stunning natural beauty. We spent much time breathing in the holy atmosphere there.

Another highlight was Žiča (Жича) monastery, near Kraljevo. It was built over eight hundred years ago by Stephan, the first king of Serbia. The mother superior is a woman of great holiness, and the sisters (and a few other visitors) are extremely musical. Their joy in prayer and song was combined with a deep sorrow for the destruction wrought on their country during the NATO bombing in 1999 and for the children ill from the environmental effects of the war. This is, perhaps, an example of the “imitation of Christ”, to open one’s heart to a love for, and joy in, God and humanity, while at the same time feeling compassion for a suffering world, so ill on the bodily, psychological and spiritual levels.

After leaving Žiča, we visited another ancient and historically important holy place, Studenica (Студеница) monastery, built in 1190 and housing marvelous frescoes. From there your pilgrims continued cycling south through the beautiful, mountainous Serbian landscape towards Kosovo. More about that in the next report.