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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6197
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0717
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
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RHFMISS/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
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RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUFOANA/USNIC PRISTINA SR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000495 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE 
NSC FOR BRAUN 
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2015 
TAGS: PREL KCRM PGOV PINR SOCI KIRF KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: RIFT WIDENS BETWEEN HARD-LINE AND MODERATE SERBIAN 
ORTHODOX CHURCH FACTIONS IN KOSOVO 
 
REF: A. PRISTINA 484 
     ¶B. 05 PRISTINA 58 - C 
     ¶C. PRISTINA 24 
     ¶D. BELGRADE 879 
     ¶E. PRISTINA 494 
 
Classified By: COM PHILIP S. GOLDBERG FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  Ever since moderate Bishop Teodosije 
welcomed Kosovo President Sejdiu to Decani Monastery on 
Orthodox Easter, the rift between Teodosije and hard-line 
Bishop Artemije has widened.  After the visit, Artemije 
blasted Teodosije in the media, and the hardline Serbian 
National Council backed Artemije up.  A letter from a 
Gracanica priest to the Synod in Belgrade criticizing 
Artemije appeared on the internet, and assailants shot at the 
priest's vehicle while he and his family drove through the 
Serb-majority municipality of Zvecan.  Evidently in reaction 
to the rift, Bishop Teodosije attempted to resign from his 
position as the church's spokesperson in Kosovo, and a key 
moderate monk, Father Nektarije, left the clergy altogether. 
The situation has made Orthodox Kosovo Serbs increasingly 
tense, especially after a Kosovo police service officer and 
cadet were suspended in connection with the attack on the 
priest's vehicle.  (NOTE.  This is one of the cases 
hard-liners in the north have cited as an Albanian-inspired 
attack on Kosovo Serbs (Ref A).  END NOTE).  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Despite their traditional religious relationship as 
spiritual father and son, a rift developed in 2005 between 
moderate Bishop Teodosije Sibalic of Lipljan, of Decani 
Monastery, and hard-line Bishop Artemije Radosavljevic, head 
of the Raska and Prizren Diocese.  At the time, Artemije 
refused to participate in the Reconstruction Implementation 
Commission (RIC) developed to oversee the reconstruction of 
Orthodox Churches destroyed in the March 2004 riots (Ref B). 
Belgrade Church officials stepped in and selected Teodosije 
to participate on the RIC, and to represent the church in 
Kosovo to the international community and to the SOC Synod. 
The RIC successfully completed preliminary interventions in 
late December 2005, and tenders for the next phase of 
reconstruction will be launched in June and July, with work 
scheduled to begin this summer (Ref C). 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Relations between Artemije and Teodosije soured 
further when Teodosije welcomed Kosovo Albanian President 
Fatmir Sejdiu to Decani Monastery for Orthodox Easter on 
April 23, 2006 (Ref C).  Several days earlier, Bishop 
Artemije had publicly refused Prime Minister Agim Ceku's 
request to visit Gracanica monastery on Orthodox Easter, 
saying such a visit would not be welcomed while displaced 
Kosovo Serbs (including Artemije himself) still cannot return 
to their homes. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On April 26, Artemije blasted the decision by 
Decani monks to welcome Sejdiu on Easter in an article 
published on the diocese web site (www.eparhija-prizren.com), 
saying the visit took place without Artemije's blessing and 
created a false impression that things were improving in 
Kosovo.  Teodosije responded in an article posted on the 
Decani website (www.kosovo.net), saying he had discussed the 
visit in advance with Artemije and Artemije agreed that a 
short visit and traditional Easter drink with international 
visitors would be acceptable.  (NOTE.  Marija Gavric, close 
family friend and former protocol assistant to Bishop 
Artemije told PolOff on June 9 that Artemije suffers from 
extremely poor health and is getting senile, often forgetting 
things from one day to the next.  END NOTE.). 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In the statement, Teodosije said he also discussed 
the visit with a high official from the state institutions in 
Belgrade, who told Teodosije that it would not be a problem 
if Sejdiu visited as a guest, as long as there was no 
political discussion.  Belgrade officials criticized 
Teodosije several months ago when Kosovo Albanian politician 
Veton Surroi visited Decani monastery as part of his outreach 
 
PRISTINA 00000495  002 OF 003 
 
 
to Kosovo's minority communities. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) On April 27 the hard-line Serbian National Council 
(SNC) issued a press statement (published on Artemije's web 
site) sharply criticizing Teodosije and moderate Serb 
politician Oliver Ivanovic for welcoming Sejdiu to Decani on 
Easter, and fully endorsing Artemije's decision to refuse 
Ceku.  The SNC stated that Teodosije was "not authorized to 
speak on behalf of the Christian Serbs of Kosovo, the vast 
majority of whom disagree" with him, and asked Teodosije and 
Ivanovic to "desist at once from their words and actions that 
give comfort and encouragement to those who seek our 
destruction."  They also asked Teodosije and other SOC 
representatives not to participate in the interfaith 
conference that took place at the Pec Patriarchate on May 
2-3, saying it was, "hollow to speak of 'dialogue' with 
Islamic representatives while jihad terrorists plot the 
destruction of Christian churches they have not already 
burned, blown up or desecrated." 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Showing just how out of touch the SNC is with the 
SOC, high level SOC representatives, including Teodosije, 
Metropolitan Amfilohije, hard-liner Bishop Irinej (Bulovic) 
of Backa, and then Heiromonk (now Bishop) Irinej 
(Dobrijevic), not only attended the conference, but hosted it 
(Ref D).  Representatives of the Catholic, Islamic, 
Protestant and Jewish communities also participated. 
Artemije was notably absent.  In a common statement issued 
afterwards, the participants acknowledged that, "all 
communities have suffered," they further condemned "the 
destruction of all churches, mosques, cemeteries and other 
religious sites," and commended the restoration process. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Afterwards a letter sharply criticizing Artemije 
for his statements against Teodosije appeared on a Serbian 
Orthodox Church internet forum, purportedly signed by Father 
Srdjan (Stankovic), secretary of the Raska and Prizren 
diocese (based at Gracanica monastery), along with diocesan 
officials from Prizren, Pristina, Mitrovica and Gnjilane. 
The letter says that believers and clergy are greatly 
confused by the clashes in the media between Artemije and 
Teodosije, and urged church leaders to be more engaged in 
seeking solutions.  The letter praised Teodosije for 
everything the Decani brotherhood did for Serb and Albanian 
people before, during and after the conflict.  The letter 
also criticized the fact that the "one-sided" SNC statement 
was sent to every priest personally. 
 
¶9.  (C) On May 6 assailants shot at Father Srdjan's vehicle 
while he was driving with his family through the village of 
Rudare, in Zvecan municipality in northern Kosovo.  Senior UN 
Civil Police (CivPol) official Grey Ferguson confirmed to E/P 
Chief on June 9 that a Kosovo Police Service (KPS) special 
unit officer and KPS cadet were suspended on June 7 in 
connection with the incident.  Father Sava of Decani 
Monastery told PolOff on June 8 that Srdjan told him that he 
has taken his family and left Kosovo, on advice from CivPol. 
(NOTE.  Father Sava said he believed the attack was carried 
out by the same groups responsible for other recent attacks 
in the north, who he says are looking to force the 
territorial division of Kosovo (Ref E).  Sava said he opposes 
such a division, saying it would force Serbs in the south to 
leave.  END NOTE). 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Teodosije and Artemije both participated at the 
May 23 status negotiations meeting on cultural heritage in 
Vienna on May 23.  Gavric told PolFSN that during the May 
15-27 Holy Assembly in Belgrade, Bishop Teodosije attempted 
to resign from his position on the RIC and as the authorized 
spokesperson for the church on matters related to Kosovo 
because of the ongoing rift with Artemije.  She said the 
assembly refused his resignation, asserting that SOC 
interests are beyond any individual. 
 
¶11.  (C) On June 2 USOP received an email from Father 
Nektarije (Isak Vorgucic), a Decani monk, saying that he was 
 
PRISTINA 00000495  003 OF 003 
 
 
leaving the clergy.  Vorgucic said he was leaving for 
entirely personal reasons (having met a woman), but would 
continue his work as executive director and editor-in-chief 
of Radio KIM.  Gavric later told PolFSN, however, that 
Vorgucic, who is currently in Nis, actually left the clergy 
due to the internal dispute between Artemije and Teodosije. 
(NOTE.  Vorgucic had been living in the Gracanica monastery 
compound, where Artemije also resides, because of its 
proximity to Radio KIM in the Serb enclave of Caglavica.  END 
NOTE.). 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Artemije has other problems brewing as well. 
Gavric said the SOC is currently investigating possible 
misuse of diocese funds by Artemije's personal assistant and 
close advisor, Father Simeon.  Artemije appointed Simeon 
Abbot of Banjska Monastery in Zvecan in 2005, and Simeon is 
closely associated with northern SNV hard-liners, including 
E.O.-listed Marko Jaksic.   According to Gavric, Simeon was 
personally behind Artemije's refusal to participate on the 
RIC, because Simeon wanted all reconstruction funds to be 
channeled through the diocese budget, without any external 
oversight. 
 
¶13.  (SBU)  COMMENT.  The public rift in the Serbian Orthodox 
Church in Kosovo is adding to the overall distress felt by 
Kosovo Serbs.  While they are used to conflicts among 
political leaders, they expect more from their religious 
leaders.  Artemije has firmly aligned himself with the 
hard-line SNC, and together they oppose any attempts at 
reconciliation with Kosovo Albanians.  Despite his radical 
views, Artemije does have significant support among the 
population, many of whom have more direct contact with him in 
Gracanica than is possible with Teodosije in Decani.  USOP 
has not generally sought out Artemije since his 
radicalization.  In a June 2 meeting in Gracanica, E/P Chief 
and PolOff found him friendly and open, although very clearly 
submerged in his own political reality with a decidedly 
anti-Albanian vision of both recent and remote Kosovo 
history.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶14.  (U)  Post clears this message in its entirety for 
release to Special Envoy Ahtisaari. 
GOLDBERG