VZCZCXRO0413
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBW #1217/01 3311437
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261437Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0676
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 001217 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIRF PHUM PGOV PREL SR KV
SUBJECT: SERBIA: HOLY ASSEMBLY RETAINS PATRIARCH PAVLE 
 
REFS: A) BELGRADE 1123, B) BELGRADE 904, C) PRISTINA 583 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The annual fall session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops 
(Sabor) of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) ended with a whimper on 
November 15.  Although the Sabor reportedly discussed the life, 
organization, and mission of the Church, it failed to resolve 
decisively the most pressing issues.  The ailing 94 year old 
Patriarch Pavle, who marked one year in the hospital during the 
session, remained the head of the SOC, his request to step down 
quietly pushed aside.  With tensions between the conservative wing 
of the SOC and more moderate bishops unaddressed, the Church remains 
in limbo.  End Summary. 
 
Pavle Patriarch for Life 
------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) With Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Coastlands 
presiding, the SOC Sabor held its bi-annual session from November 
11-15 at the Patriarchate in Belgrade.  All 45 diocesan bishops of 
the SOC took part in the session. 
¶3.  (U) On November 12, the Holy Assembly of Bishops issued a press 
release acknowledging that Patriarch Pavle requested on October 8 to 
be relieved of his duties for health reasons (ref A).  It stated, 
however, that the Sabor, while noting the request, had decided to 
ask the Patriarch to remain head of the SOC.  The media later 
reported that a majority of the 45 bishops present voted to have 
Pavle fulfill his lifetime appointment, well short of the two-thirds 
majority required to accept the resignation. 
¶4. (U) Metropolitan Amfilohije, accompanied by Bishops Konstantin of 
Central Europe and Joakim of Polog and Kumanovo, visited the 
Patriarch at the Military Medical Academy on November 13 to inform 
him of the work of the Assembly and its decision.  According to a 
short statement posted on the SOC website, Patriarch Pavle accepted 
"with tranquility" the decision of the Assembly that he remain the 
head of the Church. 
¶5. (U) With the Patriarch incapacitated, a "technical authority" - 
the Holy Synod headed by Amfilohije - will continue to run the SOC. 
Some media reported that the Assembly authorized expanded but 
undefined powers for Amfilohije, but the Metropolitan refuted these 
reports in an interview published November 13 in the daily "Vecernje 
Novosti." 
¶6. (SBU) Dragan Makojevic, director of the SOC charitable fund 
Philanthropy, told us on November 26 that he believes having Pavle 
remain at the head of the Church is "the best decision at the 
moment" for bishops and believers alike as it avoided conflict 
between groups with competing interests.  Makojevic expressed hope 
that the bishops would use the coming months to bridge their 
differences for the good of the Church. 
 
Patriarchal Succession Nowhere in Sight 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Sabor began with almost two-thirds of the bishops 
absent from the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy conducted by Metropolitan 
Amfilohije, which preceded the working sessions.  Many church 
analysts interpreted this perceived slight as confirmation of 
speculation about growing ideological divisions within the SOC and 
suggested that it may have been directed personally at the 
Metropolitan, considered a proponent for replacing the Patriarch and 
one of the front-runners to succeed him. Makojevic, however, 
cautioned against reading too much into this development.  While 
admitting that personal dislikes may have played a role, he said 
that there were a number of objective factors that also contributed 
to the low turnout. 
 
¶8. (U) The final communique of the Holy Assembly, issued on November 
15, included a list of issues discussed during the session: the 
overall situation in Kosovo and Metohija, school education and 
catechism, status of the "Macedonian" and "Montenegrin" Orthodox 
Churches, church life in Croatia, and Bosnia and Hercegovina, and 
relations and cooperation with local Orthodox churches, other 
churches, and religious communities. 
¶9. (SBU) The communique also stated that all disagreements with 
respect to rebuilding and reconstruction of SOC holy sites in Kosovo 
- at the core of the conflict between Bishop Artemije of Raska and 
Prizren and Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan, Head of the Decani 
Monastery (ref B) - were resolved.  In an interview with "Vecernje 
Novosti" on November 17, Metropolitan Amfilohije characterized this 
resolution as an important stimulus for the return of Serbs who left 
Kosovo. Although it appears the Sabor simply confirmed the Holy 
Synod's decision of August 26, which called on Artemije and 
Teodosije to resolve their differences, Makojevic told us that a 
return to cordial relations between Artemije and Teodosije (and 
Amfilohije) would be a welcome development for the future of the 
Church in Kosovo(ref C). 
 
¶10. (SBU) Church expert Mirko Djordjevic told us on November 19 that 
the session brought no end to the conceptual conflict between 
conservative and reformist bishops.  Speaking on the "Pescanik" 
 
BELGRADE 00001217  002 OF 002 
 
 
radio talk-show on November 19, Djordjevic also said it was evident 
that SOC was in the midst of a political struggle, as evidenced by 
the fact that right-wing nationalist groups like Obraz and Tzar 
Lazar Guard rallied on November 12 against any reform of the SOC, 
including replacing the Patriarch, and in support of religious 
figures from the Banat, Srem, Zica, and Belgrade-Karlovac dioceses. 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) In the face of expectations that its session might lead 
to the election of a new Patriarch, the Sabor concluded cautiously, 
opting to delay change.  Hopes that the Assembly might begin to 
unify the Church proved short-lived as the bishops sidestepped the 
most controversial issues.  Instead of clearing the air, the SOC now 
faces another indefinite period of uncertainty as ideological - and 
increasingly political - divides grow more pronounced within the 
Church.  None of the various factions likely will sit idle until the 
next Sabor session, scheduled for May 2009.  We expect maneuvering 
among the factions to continue, as they position themselves for the 
inevitable succession of the Patriarch.   End Comment. 
 
MUNTER