A “Narrow Nationalistic Framework”
At the last Holy Hierarchical Assembly held in Belgrade in May, the restructuring of the existing dioceses in North and South America was finalized, a step which brings the Serbian Church to full unity – spiritual (which occurred in 1992 when the Patriarch and bishops served together with Metropolitan Iriney of blessed memory of the then-schismatics) and now administrative. On this occasion Bishop Atanasije (Jevtic) wrote a piece which was published in the June issue of the Path of Orthodoxy (which you can read here in English and in Serbian) in which he stated, among other things:
In recent times the Diaspora has reminded us, and in its own way compelled us, to not forget the important mission of Orthodoxy in the modern world, which is possible only by coming out of our narrow nationalistic frameworks in which we are threatened by the danger of isolation. (…)
The Diaspora presents a vital problem of Orthodox Ecclesiology to all the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches…When, in the last few centuries, we heard the word “Local Church”, we usually understand this as “national Church” (or even as certain Catholic theologians will maliciously say: “state Church”). In the ancient Church, however, the Local Church meant the Church of the respective place – of the city, territory, or land regardless of the nationality, race or color of the faithful who live there. This understanding had two important consequences. Firstly, from this derived one of the foundational and unchangeable canons of the ancient Church, formulated at the First Ecumenical Council in Canon 8: ‘Two Bishops cannot be in one city’, but only one (see the 35th Apostolic Canon and the 16th Canon of the First-second council). That one bishop in one city (usually including its vicinity) was bishoop of all faithful of that city and area, with no regard to ethnic or other make-up…
See link above for full article.
I think that was the Bishop Atanasije who visited South Africa last year, and we are in the fortunate position of having one bishop for the city, who says we are the Orthodox Church of South Africa. We have Serbian, Greek and russian parishes, but we are one church.
I read this article yesterday. I pray that all of our people can understand that this is what is important. I pray for that our Dear Lord and Savior Blesses each of our Hierarchs with the wisdom, words and patience to teach and educate all of the people what is true and necessary for our Serbian Orthodox Church here in Northern America to exist.