Metropolitan Antonije (Abramović)

“Metropolitan” Antonije (Abramović) (1919-1996)

Antonije may be spelt Anton, Antoniye, Antonios, Anthony.

Abramović may be spelt Abramovich, Abramovitch.

Early life of Ilija Abramović

On 16 July, 1919, Ilija Abramović was born in Dobrota, near Kotor, Montenegro, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, Slovenes and Montenegrins). His father had recently moved to the Bay of Kotor from from the region of the Bjelice tribe of Old Montenegro. His mother was from Dobrota. In another version of his birth, Orahovac in Kosovo is mentioned.

Ilija was raised an Orthodox Christian in the bosom of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

After graduation from junior gymnasium in 1935, Ilija Abramović became a novice at Praskvica Monastery.

Alternate story

However, in his later life, people in Canada understood from him that he had been born on 31 October, 1919, in Dobrota, that he had been orphaned as a child, that he had been adopted as a child by the Abramović family and raised by them. People understood that “Abramović” was his adopted name ; that as a teenager, he left the Abramović household in Montenegro, and that he began then to live a monastic life.

Monastic beginning, 1933

In 1933, Ilija Abramović began living the monastic life and receiving monastic formation at the Praskvica Monastery in 1933.

He then moved to the "Visoki" (Great) Decani, the Serbian Monastery in Metohija, Kosovo, where he began studies in the monastic school.

The abbot there at the time was Father Dionisije Milivojević, who in 1940 was sent by the Serbian Orthodox Church to the United States of America to serve as the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of North America.

Ilija Abramović remained at Visoki Dečani Monastery, where he completed the monastic school course and formation in 1941.

Ordinations

Ilija Abramović was ordained to the Holy Diaconate at the Visoki Dečani Monastery in Kosovo.

In November, 1941, Deacon Ilija Abramović was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in the Cathedral of Saint George in Prizren.

Pastoral service

Priest Antonije continued to serve from the monastery.

Monastic tonsure, 1943

In April, 1943, Priest Ilija Abramović was tonsured as a monk of the little schema in April 1943 in Dečani, and he was given the name Antonije (in honour of Saint Anthony of Rome) at the "Visoki" (Great) Decani, the Serbian Monastery in Metohija, Kosovo, in 1943.

World War II

Hieromonk Antonije remained in this monastery throughout World War II. Somehow, he survived German, Italian, Albanian and Bulgarian raids. It is written that in doing so, in the capacity of spiritual father, he also helped the monastery to survive these raids and otherwise certain destruction.

Further education

In 1947, Hieromonk Antonije (Abramović) enrolled at the Prizren Seminary.

In August, 1950, Hieromonk Antonije (Abramović) was elevated to the dignity of igumen.

In 1951, he graduated from the Prizren Seminary.

From October, 1955, to January, 1956, Igumen Antonije served as the acting abbot of the Patriarchate of Peć Monastery in Kosovo.

During 1957, he travelled to New York City, USA. There, with the blessing of Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich), he took a course at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York City. At the same time, he cared for a parish in Syracuse, New York, which is 398 km (247 mi) northwest of New York City. During this period, he became very short of funds. Therefore, he requested and received a small stipend from the Serbian government.

During 1958-1959, he served as abbot of Rakovica Monastery until July 1959

In July, 1959, he began to serve as igumen of the Savina Monastery (Herceg Novi) at the Bay of Kotor.

In December, 1961, soon after the ordination of the Metropolitan Danilo (Dajković), the new metropolitan of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, Igumen Antonije was transferred to the Eparchy of Banja Luka where he was assigned to serve as the abbot of Moštanica Monastery.

In mid-1962, Igumen Antonije left socialist Yugoslavia for Greece, where he served as a priest in Athens, Greece until 1963.

In 1963, he emigrated from there to Canada.

Refugee in Canada, 1961

In 1961, Hieromonk Antonije (Abramović) fled from Communist Yugoslavia to Greece, and from there arrived in Canada. He settled in Montréal, Québec. There, the bishop of the “Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in America” (ROGCCNA), then known informally as the “Metropolia”, offered him a position as assistant parish priest of Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church on Champlain Street.

"Croation Orthodox Church", 1963

In 1963, he joined members of the Croatian Orthodox Church which was being formed clandestinely in Montréal but which was soon disbanded from fear of causing religious strife amongst South Slav ethnic groups. Bishop Dionisije (Milivojević), who had a falling-out with the Serbian Orthodox Church at the time, reluctantly recruited the now Igumen Antonije, and he made him a parish priest somewhere in New Jersey, USAbut his stay there was rather short. It seems that the parishioners were not pleased with his behaviour. Forced to leave, he returned to Montréal where the bishop of the ROGCCNA kindly took him back into that fold.

Repentance

After his return to Montréal, Bishop Sylvester (Haruns) sent him sometimes to serve in Saint Seraphim’s Church in Rawdon, Québec. Because of the Russian Cemetery there, he often was given the responsibility for the prayers at the interments after funerals.

In June, 1968, Father Antonije contacted the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral led by Metropolitan Danilo (Dajković). He requested that he be allowed to serve at Savina Monastery. The metropolitan promised to allow it if Father Antonije could present the approval of his superior, Bishop Sava (Vuković). However, Bishop Sava replied that Father Antonije had followed the schismatic Bishop Dionisije, and that he was currently part of a Russian diocese. Metropolitan Danilo withdrew the possibility of serving at the Savina Monastery.

After 1970, Father Antonije, now elevated to the dignity of archimandrite, also was sent to Ottawa, Ontario, in order to serve at the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas. There, he was warmly received, and he remained fondly remembered long after his time of responsibility had ended. People recalled that he was particularly kind and patient during the hearing of confessions.

Retirement, 1986

Years later, there was a disturbance, because of which he retired in 1986. Nevertheless, he never lost sight of his hope to become a bishop in Montenegro. There were certain political supporters who encouraged him to try to find someone who would ordain him.

In the meantime, he served at Saint Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Montreal as a retired priest.

During this time, Archimandrite Antonije passed through a major surgery on his prostate, from which he had suffered considerably. As is sometimes the case, in the wake of the surgery and the anaesthesia, he changed somewhat in his personality afterwards.

In July, 1993, Bishop Seraphim (Storheim) of Ottawa and Canada wrote to Archimandrite Antonije (Abramović) to inform him that he was to be appointed Bishop's Vicar for monasticism in Canada effective 1 August, 1993. However, by that time he was already ready and determined to return to Montenegro.

Self-proclamation as a "metropolitan", 1993

On the Orthodox Christian holiday of the Holy Apostle Luke ("Lučindan") in October, 1993, during the time of the breakup of Yugoslavia, Archimandrite Antonije (Abramović) arrived in Montenegro, in response to the invitation of several groups and organisations, including the "Liberal Alliance of Montenegro".

Father Antonije then unabashedly proclaimed himself to be the "metropolitan" of the new “Montenegrin Orthodox Church” in Cetinje. There is no indication available as to who might have ordained him to be a bishop, if it did, in fact, occur.

This act produced a considerable negative reaction both in the Serbian Patriarchate and in the government of Serbia.

The new entity remained and remains unrecognised everywhere.

Father Antonije's intention to support the proclamation of an "independent Montenegrin Orthodox Church" became known to the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC). Learning that Father Antonije was a cleric of [OCA The Orthodox Church in America] (OCA), the SOC contacted the Primate of the OCA, Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), on 27 October, 1993, and informed him that the autocephalists in Montenegro represented "a party of liberals, former communists and Albanians (both Catholic and Muslim)". Metropolitan Theodosius acted swiftly, and on 29 October, 1993, Archimandrite Antonije (Abramović) was suspended from all priestly functions. Metropolitan Theodosius additionally and emphatically stated that (contrary to the claims of the archimandrite) the archimandrite had not at all and in no way been ordained to the episcopal see of "Vicar-Bishop of Edmonton" in Canada. The archimandrite was recalled to Canada, and he was instructed to meet his superior Bishop Seraphim (Storheim) in Ottawa, and to explain himself.

Despite this, Archimandrite Antonije remained in Montenegro. He was then, at an impromptu meeting held by his supporters on 31 October, 1993 in Cetinje, elected as the first head of the newly-proclaimed "Montenegrin Orthodox Church". He was issued a charter by the "Committee for the Restoration of an Autocephalous Montenegrin Orthodox Church", signed by its president Dragoje Živković. The Committee denied the validity of Metropolitan Theodosius' faxed letter, and it claimed it had actually been sent from Kotor by rector of the Cetinje Orthodox Seminary, Momčilo Krivokapić.

On 13 November, 1993, the state-owned daily "Pobjeda" published an official statement by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) stating that the State Security Service (SDB) had information on the archimandrite's "lewd activities, based on the statements of the persons injured and findings of medical facilities". The statement alleged he had been left unprosecuted and given the right to leave the country because of his ties to the SDB at the time. The MUP "thought it was only fair to let Mr. Abramović know that this information and these documents were known not only to the SDB, but to the people that sustained not only injuries but violations of dignity from these acts, before he accept any public position". This publication was ignored.

Deposition from the priesthood, 1994

On 25 November, 1993, the SOC wrote to Metropolitan Theodosius that, despite his suspension, Archimandrite Antonije (Abramović) continued to present himself as a being Vicar-Bishop, and he presented a letter purporting to be support from the chancellor of the Archdiocese of Canada. It is certain that such a letter was not authentic, and the SOC was correct to question its validity. Nevertheless, and continued to perform baptism in Montenegro. On 30 November, 1993, Metropolitan Theodosius informed the SOC as well as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I (Archontonis) that the "elderly and deluded" Archimandrite Antonije (Abramović) "was falsely representing himself as an auxiliary (Vicar) bishop of Edmonton (Canada)" since he "was never consecrated" as such. Metropolitan THeodosius then began the canonical process for formal deposition of the archimandrite from the priesthood.

Although the archimandrite went briefly to Canada, he did nothing that had been requested, and he returned to Montenegro on the eve of the Feast of the Nativity, 6 January, 1994. Because of the manner in which matters were developing, the Committee for the Restoration of an Autocephalous Montenegrin Orthodox considered it imperative to try to avoid the pending deposition. This was unsuccessful. The permanent deposition of Archimandrite Antonije (Abramović) from all functions of the holy priesthood was declared by The Orthodox Church in America Holy Synod of Bishops at its meeting on 1 May, 1994.

After this, Monk Antonije (Abramović) travelled with some supporters to Skopje, Macedonia in order to try to convince the canonically unrecognised "Macedonian Orthodox Church" to ordain him as a bishop. They rejected the request. In late 1994, Monk Antonije repeatedly announced that he would be ordained by an unnamed canonical church.

Excommunication from the Orthodox Church, 1995

The Serbian Patriarch Pavle II (Stojcevic) wrote to the Metropolitan Theodosius 17 February, 1995, and he reported that the deposed archimandrite continued to appear wearing the vestments of an archbishop, that he was celebrating sacraments in Montenegro, that he was trying to convince the clergy of the Serbian Church to join the "Montenegran Church", and that he was searching for someone in the world who would proclaim him bishop. Metropolitan Theodosius responded in writing to Patriarch Pavle, and he informed the patriarch that on 22 March, 1995, at the spring session of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the OCA meeting in Oyster Bay Cove, New York, Monk Antonije (Abramović) was given a judgment of "complete expulsion from the Church" (he was excommunicated).

Despite all this, the excommunicated Monk Antonije Abramović continued to act as the head of the "Montenegrin Orthodox Church". In June, 1996, he wrote to Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, in which he set out the historical claims of the Montenegrin church.

Soon after, however, Monk Antonije (Abramović) fell ill, and his activities were much limited.

Repose, 1996

On 3 November, 1996, “Metropolitan” Antonije suddenly sustained a heart attack.

On 18 November, 1996, “Metropolitan” Antonije fell asleep in the Lord of the same year Podgorica, in the former Republic of Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia and Montenegro).

After the funeral services, "Metropolitan" Antonije (Abramović) was interred in Cetinje, Montenegro.

— "Metropolitan of Montenegro" 1993-1996. Preceded by : Title created. Succeeded by : "Metropolitan" Mihailo (Dedeić).

Reflections

Metropolitan Antonije was the first “metropolitan” of the non-canonical (not conforming to the universally-accepted canons of the Orthodox Christian Church) "Montenegrin Orthodox Church", and self-proclaimed “Metropolitan of Montenegro”. The schism which he instituted continues.

It was always evident that his incomplete formal education prevented him from accomplishing his life's ambition, which was to become a metropolitan in Montenegro. There is understandably no record that he was ever a candidate for the position of metropolitan of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral.

Logo of the "Montenegran Orthodox Church"

References

Wikipedia biography

Serbian Wikipedia biography

Howold.co biography

Additional information :

Faber, Mient Jan, “The Balkans: A Religious Backyard of Europe” (Longo editors (openlibrary.org), 1996), p.158.

Jeffries, Ian, “The Former Yugoslavia at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century” (London : Routledge, 2002), p. 389. ASIN : B010BEMBLU.

Morrison, Kenneth, “Montenegro: A Modern History” (London : I B Tauro, 2009), p. 138. ISBN-13: 978-1845117108 & ISBN-10 : 1845117107.

Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns)

Bishop Dionisije (Milivojević)

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)

Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor)

"Metropolitan" Mihailo (Dedeić)

Forum-Krstarica-Srbija (forum in Serbian)

Fraudulent clergy encroaching on property of Serbian Church in Montenegro (in English)

"Independent" newspaper article (in English)

“Montenegrin Orthodox Church” (in English)

Serbian article on the schism (in Serbian)

Wikipedia article about the "Montenegrin Orthodox Church"

"European Stability Initiative" article 'The conflict in Montenegrin Orthodoxy'.

Youtube interview

Britannica article about Montenegro

Wikipedia article about Montenegro

Orthodoxwiki article about the Montenegrin Orthodox Church

Wikipedia article about the History of Montenegro