(Reuters) - The woman paused before a photograph of a young man with dark eyes and a tightly trimmed moustache.
"That's that Serb terrorist
those Chetniks (Serb nationalists) are praising," she said to a
journalist inspecting the image. "He started that war. They started all
the wars."
Gavrilo Princip stared
down from the outer wall of a museum at the riverside spot in Sarajevo
where on a summer's morning in 1914 he opened fire on the heir to the
Austro-Hungarian throne.
The
killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, lit the fuse
for World War One, turning out the lights on an age of European peace
and progress.
Empires crumbled and
more than 10 million soldiers died. The world order was rewritten. Yet
100 years on, in Princip's native Bosnia, time, in many ways, has stood
still.
A hero to some, a harbinger
of destruction to others, the assassin is being fought over anew as
Sarajevo prepares to mark the June 28 centenary of his act.
Ecumenical Patriarchate and Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew support the territorial integrity of Georgia and recognize Abkhazia as canonical territory of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church. Journalists were told about this in the Patriarchate of Georgia after the visit of the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Tbilisi.
This position was voiced by the delegation at a meeting with the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II who also has the rank of Metropolitan of Bichvinta (Pitsunda) and Tskhum-Abkhazia. The meeting was held on the evening of February 14th. Today, the delegation returned to Istanbul.
Earlier, Patriarch Bartholomew received a delegation of the so-called "Holy Metropolia of Abkhazia" (one of the two conflicting groups of Abkhazian dissenters) and after that Sukhumi started to make claims about future recognition of "independent Abkhazian Church" by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The conflicts that engulfed the former Yugoslavia still remain unresolved in the political arena and open to Western political shenanigans and covert meddling from Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Bosnia and Kosovo. Orthodox Christianity faces many attacks and only a naïve individual would claim that America and the hands of Turkey and Saudi Arabia are clean.
America and other Western nations did little to stop Turkey invading Cyprus in 1974 and creating a de-facto nation and altering the demographics of northern Cyprus and using this area for military purposes.
Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of Cyprus you have no vindication of allowing a foreign army to invade another nation and then altering the ethnic and religious nature of the society that was invaded. However, the response by America to this Turkish and Islamic invasion was not only minimal but it clearly wasn’t important enough to the elites who pull the strings.
The invasion was both nationalist in nature and religious because what is left of Orthodox Christianity in northern Cyprus? Also, are Orthodox Christian religious leaders free to convert and spread the faith in northern Cyprus?
In Turkey ethnicity and religion is fused together by the current leader of Turkey but anti-Christian themes run deep within the psyche irrespective of the leader. After all, Turkey is the cradle of Orthodox Christianity and “old Byzantium” but this “cradle” was destroyed by constant Islamic invasions, Turkish migration and Islamization which enslaved and sold European Christian slaves for many centuries.
The one uniting theme of the 1915 Turkish genocide which is still denied by modern day Turkey is that millions of Armenian/Assyrian/Greek Christians were slaughtered and just like “old Byzantium” and modern day northern Cyprus and Kosovo – you have very few traces of Orthodox Christianity.
Therefore, in northern Cyprus, Kosovo and “old Byzantium” the virtual 100% Christian lands have become a graveyard because of past Islamic invasions and because of recent factors. These recent factors apply to the combined forces of America, Turkey, Islamic terrorists, Saudi Arabian funding, and other important areas alongside a distorted media which is anti-Orthodox Christian.
In many Western academia circles and according to Islamic apologists we are told that Islam means peace, but in truth it means “a piece of Christianity to swallow” and then to Islamize. How do virtual 100% Christian areas become “Orthodox Christian graveyards?”
SENIOR figures in the Serbian Orthodox Church are to be questioned over allegations that the former general Ratko Mladic, who is suspected of war crimes, was sheltered by the Church during his nearly 16 years on the run.
General Mladic is currently in prison at The Hague, facing charges of orchestrating the massacre of 8000 Muslims in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995 — the worst civilian massacre in Europe since the Second World War.
The President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, has said that church officials will be questioned as part of the investigation, after reports in the Serbian press suggested that General Mladic was nursed by nuns through a stroke while he was supposed to be on the run.
The St Melania convent, which is 40 miles north of Belgrade, is said to have been one of a number of secret refuges provided by the Orthodox Church.
The Church has not made any comment on the allegations, or on the arrest of General Mladic.
Drasko Djenovic, who runs Centaur 9, an organisation set up to monitor religious freedom in Serbia, said that there was, as yet, no proof that General Mladic had been harboured by the Church, as Radovan Karadzic had been. He said that priests had joined in demonstrations against Mladic’s arrest, however, and a demonstration in Lazarevo, the village where the General was arrested, was led by the local priest.
Mr Djenovic said: “For most believers, priests, and bishops, he is still a national hero, and his extradition to Hague court will just mean that more people will vote against pro-European parties in favour of nationalist parties.”
The Very Revd Aleksandar Zebic, of the Serbian Orthodox Church of St Lazar in Bourneville, Birmingham, told Premier Christian Radio this week that General Mladic was now “answerable to God”.
The Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, has welcomed the arrest and trial. On his blog, he contrasted General Mladic’s treatment with the discovery and shooting of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
“Putting someone on trial matters because the truth matters. Trial is not about revenge but about justice. There may have been very good reasons why Osama Bin Laden, too, could not have been arrested and put on trial for his crimes, but we are not told them in any clear or persuasive way.”
THE HAGUE — Ratko Mladic made his long-awaited appearance on Friday here before an international court that has accused him of genocide and multiple other atrocities and he quickly dismissed the charges read out to him as “obnoxious” and “monstrous.”
The former Bosnian Serb general, one of Europe’s most wanted men for almost 16 years, entered the court flanked by two guards who assisted him as he shuffled into court and helped him into his chair. At times he rubbed his face or flashed a mocking smile as he followed the proceedings.
Asked if he wanted to exercise his right to have the 37-page indictment read aloud in court, he said, “I do not want a single letter or sentence of that indictment read to me.” But the presiding judge, Alphons Orie of the Netherlands, proceeded to summarize the 11 counts against Mr. Mladic, a grave list recounting the assaults on civilians by troops under his command during the 1992-96 Bosnian war.
For years Mr. Mladic impressed followers and enemies, diplomats and reporters with his blunt and commanding presence, but the figure in the dock on Friday, dressed in a grey suit, shirt, and cap, seemed much diminished — the myth of the powerful warrior shrunk to a frail elderly man arrested in Serbia eight days ago.
On this day, Mr. Mladic seemed most interested in his health. A few moments after the 90-minute hearing began, he told the judge: “I am a gravely ill man. I need a bit more time. Please be patient with me.” Later, he had a long private exchange with the judge about his ailments, which may well affect the course of his trial.
Religion and politics often intertwine in Serbia, but experts say the relationship is more complex than many assume.
Analysts agree on one thing: the church maintains a connection with Serbian political parties.
The real question, they argue, is which partner leads in this dance? Which wields more power over the other?
Religion analyst Zivica Tucic believes the Serbian Orthodox Church's influence on politics is weaker than many assume, given the bishops' broad range of views.
"The bishops have very different political orientations, from right-wing conservatism to closeness to the left, as in the Socialist Party," Tucic told SETimes.
Leader of a Serbian group in Kosovo has said that Kosovo Serbs will seek Russian citizenship if Serbia agrees to the EU brokered UN Resolution in which it will abdicate its sovereignty over Kosovo.
“If that resolution gets accepted and Serbia’s President Tadic accepts it without the agreement from Russia, we will initiate a drive to have the Russian citizenship granted to Serbs in Kosovo because Russia knows how to shield its citizens no matter where they live,” said Milan Ivanovic, leader of the Serbian National Committee for the Northern Kosovo.
Moscow fears that NATO's decision to transfer the protection of Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo to the local police maystir up tensions in the region.
Spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Andrey Nesterenko believes that this may lead to distrust of international peacekeepers. NATO made this decision without approval of the Serbian Orthodox Church and is breaching the1244 UN resolution.
The resolution was adopted in 1999 and states that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia and its shrines should be protected by Serbia. The document is still valid, thus, it has to be followed.
Monasteries in Gracanica,Visoki Decani and Monastery of the Holy Archangels will be transferred to the police in late August. Many of them areon the UNESCO World Heritage list.
In 2004, 35 Orthodox shrines were vandalized and burnt down by Kosovo Albanians,while they saw no resistance from peacekeepers. Russians expert on Serbia Alexander Kravchenko believes that Kosovo military men are interested in controlling local Orthodox sites to make Serbian enclaves recognize the power of Kosovo government.
The goal of Kosovo Albanians is to make Serbs leave Kosovo. This decision is another way to push them put of the region. Now all Serbian monasteries are controlled by Kosovo-Albanian companies. They provide them with water, electricity, communal utilities. As this needs to be fixed in agreements it means recognizing Kosovo's state institutions.
The Serbian Orthodox Church believes NATO will revoke its decision, especially when many European countries are also concerned with the situation.
Europe continues its inexorable slide toward social and political anarchy. The implications for this ruling could be staggering. It effectively casts into doubt the long term viability of any nation state anywhere.
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Kosovo's unilateral secession from Serbia in 2008 did not violate international law, the World Court said on Thursday in a case that could have implications for separatist movements around the globe.
The ruling - a major blow to Serbia - is likely to lead to more countries recognizing Kosovo's independence and move Pristina closer to entry into the United Nations.
It may also embolden breakaway regions in other countries to seek more autonomy.
"The court considers that general international law contains no applicable prohibition of declaration of independence," Judge Hisashi Owada, president of the ICJ, said in his ruling.
Today, on November 15, 2009, at 10.45 at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, after receiving the Sacrament, Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovac , Patriarch Pavle of Serbia reposed in the Lord. May his memory be eternal!
H.M. Aleksander I of Yugoslavia and The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
On October 9th 1934 King Aleksander of Yugoslavia (also the last King of Serbia) arrived in Marseilles France to complete diplomatic negotiations on a treaty aimed at isolating Nazi Germany. The King was an ardent anti-Nazi who saw Hitler as a danger to the peace of Europe. En-route to the rail station in an open touring car Alexander was poorly protected by only an escort of mounted police. Riding with him and enjoying the enthusiastic public reception was French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou.
Suddenly and with no warning Vlado Chernozemski, a Bulgarian nationalist, leaped from the crowd onto the side board of the limousine and opened fire with an automatic pistol. King Aleksander was killed almost instantly along with the unlucky chauffeur. In the chaos of the moment Minister Barthou was tragically and fatally wounded by a policeman aiming for the gunman. The assassin was immediately cut down by a saber wielding mounted police officer. However before police could remove him from the scene he was seized by the hysterical crowds and beaten to death. The entire event was captured on newsreel footage.
In a sad coincidence King Aleksander rarely made public appearances on Tuesdays as several members of his family had died on that day and he was quite superstitious. However official duty could not be avoided in this case.
The consequences of this infamous but largely forgotten crime were significant. Aleksander was one of very few European statesmen in the early 30's who clearly saw Hitler for what he was. His death derailed the planned strengthening of the so called Little Entente treaty (of which the King was a major architect) that was aimed at providing a unified front against German aggression or expansionism a full two years before the Nazis reoccupied the Rhineland.
His son succeeded as King Petar II. However given his age (11) the new King was unable to rule and his cousin Prince Paul was appointed as regent. Prince Paul quickly abandoned the anti-Nazi policies of the late sovereign and against the wishes of the royal court and the new King began adopting a progressively more friendly foreign policy towards Nazi Germany. This culminated in the signing of the Tripartite Pact on March 25 1941 in Nazi occupied Vienna. This was the last straw for King Peter and his supporters who with massive public support overthrew the unpopular regent. But the damage was long since done.
King Aleksander was an imperfect ruler and no one has suggested he be glorified as a saint. His reign was largely authoritarian in style and some of the ethnic groups in his kingdom felt the heel of his boot firmly planted on their necks. This was certainly a contributing factor in his murder (despite persistent rumors that it was actually a Nazi conspiracy).
But he was also quite clear in his grasp of international and domestic politics. He perceived the menace of Nazi Germany long before almost anyone else on the continent and was working diligently to put Hitler in a box right up to the day of his death. His assassination radically altered the balance of power in central Europe and removed one of the linchpins from the carefully crafted alliances designed to isolate Germany. France would later abandon its ally Czechoslovakia in 1938 and again in early 1939 citing as a partial excuse for their dishonorable conduct the lack of any other credible ally in the region.
The tomb of H.M. King Aleksander I
Note: This post was slightly modified to more closely reflect the Serbian spelling of the King's name.
As we approach the Great Fast, I expect my posting to be less frequent. I will of course continue to monitor comments and check email. In the meantime let us all pray for the faithful in Europe, especially Serbian Kosovo which has been ceded by the EU and NATO to the Saracens. It has been a long time since I have been so appalled by the actions of my own government. Why they would support the creation of a Muslim country with known ties to Iran and various radical Islamic groups in the heart of Europe is beyond me.
The Serbs would be well justified in expressing their resentment at those entities which have aided the dismembering of their country. Sharply reducing their diplomatic representations with the EU and the United States (already done) is a good first step. They could also make it clear that they consider NATO to be an unfriendly power and one that is a threat to their sovereignty by signing a mutual defense treaty with Russia. If they really want to tick the US off they could invite the Russians to build an air force base somewhere in Serbia.
G. W. Bush on his way out of Europe yesterday gave a magnificent present to the Albanians. He gave them a large piece of land that currently belongs to Serbia. Unfortunately President Bush forgot to check with the Serbs. For some unimaginable reason they are highly ticked off that President Bush declared that Kosovo should become an "independent" country. The territory of Kosovo has historically been Serbian but currently has a large Muslim Albanian majority in it. In the 1990's the United States lead a NATO bombing campaign against Serbia in response to a perceived campaign of large scale human rights violations orchestrated by the former Serbian strongman Slobodan Milošević. Since NATO's occupation of Kosovo began the Serbian minority has been suffering widespread persecution ranging from minor harassment and discrimination to overt violence and murder. It is impossible to estimate the number of Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries that have been destroyed and desecrated by the Muslim Kosovars.
The Serbian Government has expressed its indignation over President Bush's comments supporting the secessionist Kosovars. Few seriously think the Kosovars will not move quickly to cement ties with Muslim Albania if they gain independence. Also the fate of Serbian Christians in Kosovo is very much a matter of grave concern. Russian President Vladimir Putin has thus far been highly critical of any plans for separating Kosovo from Serbia. It is questionable whether any plan can succeed without Russian acquiescence. At present that does not seem highly likely. Stay tuned.
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