Subject: A letter to the editor re. "From Ruins of Kosovo, Serbian Church's Role Raises Hard Questions," June 24, 1999 (by Andrew Higgins and Robert Block)

Dear Ned,

Your front page story, "From Ruins of Kosovo, Serbian Church's Role Raises Hard Questions," June 24, 1999, is yet another example of the Journal's malicious anti-Christian propaganda. In the opening paragraphs, you assert that the Serbian church leaders' recent call for Yugoslavia's president to resign is a sign of "a dramatic erosion in the once-solid ties between the Orthodox (Christian) Church and President Slobodan Milosevic."

What "solid ties?" I have met with Milosevic twice in the early 1990s and have discerned nothing but disdain which this turncoat communist held for the church.

As his personal secretary (also a communist, surprise, surprise...) was trying to schedule the time for one of our meetings in 1992, she disparagingly referred to the Serb Patriarch as a mere "pop" (priest). "Oh yes. I remember. Mr. Djurdjevic has a meeting with the priest ('pop') at 6 p.m.," she told my assistant. Like boss, like secretary...

And then there was a story about Milosevic's atheism relayed to me in May 1994 by Momcilo Krajisnik, then the Speaker of the Bosnian Serb Parliament. Here's an excerpt from my diary notes made after our meeting in Pale, Bosnia:

"During the session of our National Assembly in May 1993 (held to decide about the Vance-Owen plan), we had all sorts of dignitaries here,' Krajisnik said. (The Greek Prime Minister) 'Mitsotakis was here; Milosevic was here; (Dobrica) Cosic was here... And so was the Bosnian Serb Bishop. Of course, Cosic and Milosevic are both former communists and the self-declared atheists."

"We insisted on carrying out all our traditions," Krajisnik said. "Which meant we kept getting them up on their feet quite often. First, when the national anthem was played. Then, the Bishop said God's prayer before dinner. Being of Orthodox faith, Mitsotakis, of course, took part in everything with enthusiasm. But we noticed that although Cosic and Milosevic got up, they did not cross themselves."

Then the dinner was then served. After the desert, the Bishop was getting ready to say another prayer - to thank God for the food we had just received. That's when Milosevic got antsy. He leaned toward me and said disparagingly: "Look at the priest ('pop') fidgeting! He seems to be getting ready to make us get up on our feet again."

As to the other side of the "solid ties" which you allege had existed, not only did Patriarch Pavle "join an opposition march against Milosevic" in 1992, as you noted in the subject story, but on Aug. 10, 1994, quoting Petar Petrovic "Njego{," the famous 19^th century Serb poet, bishop and ruler of Montenegro, put a curse on the Serbian president:

"May God forbid that this generation of Serbs lives to see the horrible national curse:

'Leaders, may their souls be cursed,

Have split the kingdom into pieces.

They planted the seeds of discord,

And poisoned the tribe of Serbs!'

(Njego{)"

And in January 1997, at the height of the massive anti-Milosevic demonstrations in Belgrade, Patriarch Pavle led a procession which broke the blockade of the demonstrators by the Milosevic police. Here is an excerpt from my Feb. 9, 1997 Washington Times column, "Orthodox Patriarch Leads by Example:"

"It was an awesome display of spiritual power over brute police force. On January 27, the Serbian Saint Sava Day, Patriarch Pavle led a procession of over 100,000 people through the streets of Belgrade as the Slobodan Milosevic riot police backed away. Like a tiny Moses, the 81-year old leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church parted the sea of the 'men in blue' who had been blocking the streets in the city center around the clock for days, and clubbing the pro-democracy demonstrators for three days in a row. It was the largest religious procession in Serbia since World War II.

'In contrast to the noisy pro-democracy demonstrations of students and opposition parties, Monday's procession - marking the holiday of St. Sava, the founding father of the Serbian Orthodox Church - wove silently through the heart of the capital,' Associated Press reported from Belgrade. 'The only sounds were the chanting of St. Sava's liturgy by dozens of Orthodox priests in flowing robes who headed the procession, and bursts of applause for Patriarch Pavle, head of the church'.

... Is that the kind of power the West is afraid of? Because a strong church and a real democracy can return the authority which the globalist elites have usurped back to the people?"

Is that the kind of Christian spiritual power the Journal is afraid of? Is that why you are slandering the Serbian Orthodox Church by maliciously impugning that it had had "solid ties" with the godless socialist who runs the country? (I am not referring to Bill Clinton here).

Best regards,

Bob Djurdjevic, Founder, Truth in Media

Also check out... "Does WSJ Dance to Wall St. Bankers' Tunes?",  "Clinton Fiddles While Milosevic Burns",  "Let the Bombing Begin?  Not!" , "What's Good for the Goose..."  and "Journal's Rotten Apples" (Wall Street Journal); and "Stock buybacks: Wall St.'s duping of Main St.", Business Week).