RIFT WIDENS BETWEEN HARD-LINE AND MODERATE SERBIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000495

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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

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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

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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