Artemije Radosavljević facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Grace Artemije Radosavljević PhD, ThD |
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| Bishop | |
Bishop Artemije in Sremski Karlovci in 2009
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| Church | Serbian Orthodox Church |
| Diocese | Eparchy of Raška and Prizren |
| Enthroned | 1991 |
| Predecessor | Pavle (Stojčević) |
| Successor | Teodosije (Šibalić) |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Marko Radosavljević |
| Born | 15 January 1935 Lelić, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| Died | 21 November 2020 (aged 85) Valjevo, Serbia |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodoxy |
| Alma mater | University of Belgrade |
Artemije Radosavljević (Serbian Cyrillic: Артемије Радосављевић; born Marko Radosavljević; January 15, 1935 – November 21, 2020) was an important Serbian Orthodox bishop. He led the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren from 1991 until 2010. He was removed from his role due to concerns about how church money was managed.
Biography
Early Life and Studies
Bishop Artemije was born as Marko Radosavljević in the village of Lelić. This is the same village where Saint Nikolaj Velimirović was born. When he was young, he met a wise monk named Archmandrite St. Justin Popović.
After finishing his theology studies, Popović welcomed him as a monk. This happened at Ćelije Monastery on November 20, 1960. Like his teacher, Artemije strongly believed in keeping the Orthodox faith pure. He was against mixing it too much with other Christian groups.
Artemije went to the University of Belgrade to study Orthodox Theology. He then continued his studies in Athens, where he earned a special degree. His research was about "The Secret of Salvation" according to Saint Maximus the Confessor. After his studies, he lived at the Crna Reka Monastery for thirteen years.
During the time of the Communist government in Yugoslavia, Artemije taught at Orthodox schools. In the late 1970s, he was in charge of the Crna Reka Monastery. He was a very inspiring leader. Because of him, many educated monks joined the monastery. This was a rare achievement for the Orthodox Church under communism. In the 1980s, problems grew in the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo. Many of Artemije's students went there to help bring Orthodox Serb monasteries back to life.
As Bishop
In May 1991, Artemije was chosen to be the Bishop of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren. He took over from Pavle, who became the leader of the entire Serbian Orthodox Church.
In 1997, Artemije surprised many people. He disagreed with Serbian President Slobodan Milošević and supported democratic ideas. He believed that Kosovo could stay part of Serbia only if it was a place where all people, including Albanians, could live together peacefully. He thought it should not just be for Orthodox Serbs.
Artemije knew about the difficult events that had happened in the region. He said that Serbia needed a good image to keep Kosovo. He spoke to Serbian opposition groups and international audiences. He warned them about the government's harsh actions against Albanians. He felt these actions were harming the relationships between Serbs and Albanians. Artemije believed that only a democratic Serbia could solve the problems in Kosovo.
From 1997 until the war in 1999, Artemije saw fighting between Milošević's forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). This fighting caused strong negative feelings towards Serbs among local Albanians. Two of Artemije's students, Sava Janjić and Abbot Teodosije Šibalić, helped him during this time. Artemije became an important voice against Milošević's government. His ideas about democracy spread to others in the Serbian Orthodox Church. After the Kosovo war (1999), Artemije said that Milošević should face justice for his actions.
Artemije believed that a NATO peacekeeping force (KFOR) would protect Kosovo Serbs and their churches better than the previous police. However, his views changed after the 2004 unrest in Kosovo. During this time, KFOR could not stop violence that led to many Serbs being displaced, injured, or killed. Many Orthodox churches were also destroyed. This made Artemije lose trust in the international community. After the Kosovo conflict, he became more critical of Western policies. He felt that the West had unfair standards regarding Kosovo.
Artemije was an important person for Kosovo Serbs when talking with international groups. But after the 2004 unrest, he reduced his contact with Western representatives and KFOR. He looked for support in the United States and Russia. He also sought help from nationalist politicians in Belgrade. In his travels, he warned that a Kosovo controlled by Albanians might become a place of crime and violence against Christians.
During his visits to the United States, Artemije tried to highlight concerns about violence. He spoke about the KLA and linked them to acts of violence against Christian Serbs. However, Serbian President Boris Tadić and most other bishops did not agree with Artemije's actions. In 2005, the Bishops' Council gave many of Artemije's public duties to Abbot Teodosije.
By 2006, during talks about religious sites in Kosovo, some church leaders privately worried about Artemije speaking. Artemije also took legal action against NATO countries. This was because of the 2004 unrest in areas they controlled. The Holy Synod, a church council, stopped supporting him because they saw this as too extreme. In talks with Kosovo Albanian representatives, Artemije sometimes used strong words.
When Joe Biden visited Serbia, Bishop Artemije did not give his approval for Biden to visit the Visoki Dečani monastery. Artemije wrote a very strong letter about it. But the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church disagreed with his decision and publicly expressed regret.
In February 2010, the Serbian Orthodox Church removed Artemije from his duties. They asked him to retire because of concerns about how church funds were managed. This involved his secretary and a building contractor. It was about how donations and state money were used. Some people in Serbian media said that Artemije was not deeply involved. They believed his removal was for political reasons because his strong views caused problems for the church and President Tadić. At the time, Artemije did not accept the decision. He refused to leave his church role and continued his work with support from his followers.
On May 28, 2015, the Bishops' Council officially removed Artemije from the Serbian Orthodox Church. This is called excommunication. He was the first bishop in the church's history to be excommunicated.
Health and Death
On November 21, 2020, Artemije passed away in Valjevo. He died from problems related to COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia. He was in an ambulance, on his way to a hospital in Belgrade, when he died.
See Also
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion#Serbian Orthodox Church
Images for kids
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Bishop Artemije in Sremski Karlovci in 2009
