Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren Does Single-Hand Consecration of Bishop; STOC Reacts

Ὁ Ἐπίσκοπος Ράσκας καὶ Πριζρένης Ἀρτέμιος Χειροτονεῖ ἔναν Ἐπίσκοπον μόνος του. 

Ἡ Γνησία Ὀρθόδοξος Ἐκκλησία τῆς Σερβίας Ἀντιδράει.

May 16, 2015  

(Source: http://serbiantrueorthodox.blogspot.com)

According to the website of the Serbian True Orthodox Church under Bishop Akakije, it seems that the dissident Serbian Patriarchate Bishop, Artemije of Raska and Prizren in Kosovo, has performed a single-hand consecration on May 13/26 of this year (Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-Bearers).  The new bishop is a Bishop Nikolaj, who had previously been the Abbot in C.rna Rekka.
Attempts have been made by Bishop Akakije and others members of the Serbian True Orthodox Church to reach an agreement with Bishop Artemije and his followers. However, the report of the events that transpired, as given to the Hierarchical Councils of the Serbian True Orthodox Church proved disappointing. Bp. Artemije still viewed the True Orthodox in Serbia in an extremely negative light, and viewed all Greek Old Calenadrists as schismatic.  When informed that Bp. Nikolai (Velimirovich) had in the 1930s and 1940s aided the True Orthodox in Greece in various ways (by giving them Holy Chrism,  and offering to help consecrate additional bishops with Metropolitcan Chrysostomos of Florina), Bp. Artemije seemed totally unaware of this, and refused to believe it.

The Serbian True Orthodox Church published a criticism of single-hand consecrations, and of Bp. Artemije’s position on the Serbian Patriarchate.  It seems, however, that they still hold out a great deal of hope for the future though;  if Bp. Artemije and the new Bp. Nikolai could be convinced to join the Serbian True Orthodox Church, it would lead to much larger scale, and more visible, alternative to the ecumenically and modernist minded Serbian Patriarchate. Perhaps it could even lead to the re-establishment of a True Orthodox Patriarchate in Serbia.