May Serbian Orthodox holy assembly notes

(SOC) - With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle and under the presidencyof His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilohije of Montenegro and the Coastlands, who, in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church is serving as substitute to the ailing Patriarch, the regular Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church was held at the Patriarchate in Belgrade from May 14 through 22, 2009. Participating in the work of the Assembly were all the diocesan hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, including His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje Jovan with the hierarchs of the Autonomous Archdiocese of Ochrid.

Conscious of the Church's responsibility for the life and salvation of people and of the great spiritual challenges of our day, the Holy Assembly of Bishops dedicated itself to solving the vital questions of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Firstly, the Assembly dedicated its attention to the state of the Church and people in our southern province after the illegal proclamation of the so-called independence of Kosovo and Metohija. The Assembly gave due recognition to the state of Serbia for all its efforts to cease and render impotent that clamorous lawlessness with all the unforeseeable consequences which can ensue from it in the near or distant future, as well as all the countries which, respecting international legal order and basic morality, have not recognized it, and especially to all those who in their actions showed their solidarity with the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, whose basic human, religious and political rights are being trampled upon with no regard and with cold and indifferent silence from the most powerful and loudest spokesmen of human rights. The Assembly is grateful to all international institutions and organizations, as well as to distinguished individuals from the world of science, the arts and culture, who have raised their voices in protest against this historical injustice and unprecedented challenge to the norms of international law. The Assembly is convinced that Serbia and the Serbian people will never accept the violent taking of Kosovo and Metohija...

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