Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for U.S. of America and Canada v. Ocokoljich

Decision Date07 April 1966
Docket NumberGen. No. 65--40
Citation219 N.E.2d 343,72 Ill.App.2d 444
PartiesSERBIAN EASTERN ORTHODOX DIOCESE FOR UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA, etc., et al., Appellees, v. Firmilian OCOKOLJICH et al., Appellants. The Right Reverend Bishop Firmilian OCOKOLJICH et al., Appellants, v. Dionisije MILIVOJEVICH, Appellee.
CourtUnited States Appellate Court of Illinois

Supplemental Opinion on Denial of Rehearing Sept. 7, 1966.

Raymond, Mayer, Jenner & Block, Chicago. Henry D. Fisher, Waukegan, Katz & Karacic, John J. Crown, Chicago, for appellant.

Snyder, Clarke, Dalziel, Holmquist & Johnson, Waukegan, for appellee.

DAVIS, Justice.

This appeal involves two actions--consolidated in the trial Court--which narrate a dispute over the control of the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for United States and Canada, and the property and assets of this Diocese, and of a related institution. The trial Court determined this matter by granting a summary judgment in one suit, and granting a motion to dismiss in the other. The judgment and order were based upon extensive pleadings, depositions and affidavits. Because of the summary presentation and the conflicting representations of the parties, the factual background necessary to an understanding of the case, is not in all respects certain.

We will relate the church and corporate histories, and the church and corporate laws of the institutions involved, as best we comprehend them under the posture of this appeal, in that such background is essential to an understanding of the issues involved in these pleadings.

In California and Pennsylvania in the 1890's, Americans of Serbian descent formed completely autonomous religious associations. In 1917, these Serbian church societies became associated with the Russian Orthodox Church which sent Father Mardarije Uskokovich to this country to organize an 'independent' Serbian Diocese in America.

In the 1920's, the Diocese in this country became affiliated with the Serbian Orthodox Church of Yugoslavia. This Diocese was incorporated in 1927 under the laws of the State of Illinois, as a religious society, under the name of 'Serbian Orthodox Diocese Council for United States and Canada.' It duly adopted a Constitution, which was approved by the Serbian Orthodox Church of Yugoslavia.

This charter was permitted to lapse, and in 1935, a new religious society was again incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois, and was called 'Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for United States of America and Canada.' Its Constitution was substantially the same as that of the first corporation and it was likewise approved by the Serbian Orthodox Church of Yugoslavia.

The Holy Bishops Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Yugoslavia, elected Dionisije Milivojevich as Bishop in 1938, and the following year appointed him as Bishop of the Diocese in this country. When King Peter II of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was deposed by the Communists in 1944, Bishop Dionisije became concerned that efforts might be made by the Communist government to obtain control of the property of the Diocese in this country. Consequently, this religious corporation, acting through its Diocesan Council, which is hereafter more fully defined, adopted a resolution calling for the incorporation--under the general not-for-profit corporate laws of the State of Illinois--of a separate corporation, to which the assets of the religious corporation would be transferred and in which the title to the various assets would be held. Such a corporation was formed in the year 1945 under the name 'Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sava.'

Before completing this chronology, we will briefly relate the relevant portions of the Constitutions and By-laws of the Serbian Orthodox Church; of the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the United States of America and Canada, the religious corporation; and of the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sava, the not-for-profit corporation.

The Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church (with its headquarters in Belgrade, Yugoslavia) sets forth that the Serbian Orthodox Church is autocephalous, and governs and regulates independently, all of its religious affairs; and that it has the rank of a Patriarchate and maintains dogmatic and canonical unity with all other Orthodox Churches. It provides that the Church is episcopal with the main administrative divisions 'composed of dioceses, both in regards to church hierarchical and church administrative aspect.'

Article 10 provides that there are the following church hierarchical and administrative authorities, bodies and organs:

'1. Patriarch, Holy Bishop's Council and Holy Synod, High Ecclesiastical Court, Patriarchal Council and Patriarchal Board;

2. Diocesan Bishop, diocesan ecclesiastical court, diocesan council and diocesan executive board; * * *.'

Additional authorities at a level below the dioceses are then set forth which are not pertinent to this decision.

It is provided in Article 12:

'The Serbian Orthodox Church is episcopal. Its main administrative division is composed of dioceses, both in regard to Church hierarchical and church administrative aspect.' (emphasis ours.)

Article 13 provides in part:

'At the head of each diocese there is the diocesan bishop as its direct ruler. He is, according to the church canonical regulations, chief representative and guiding leader of all church spiritual life and church order in the diocese and he rules the diocese assisted by his clergy and laymen.'

Article 14 reads: 'These are the Dioceses in the Serbian Orthodox Church * * *.' It then lists a number of dioceses, all located within Yugoslavia. Article 15 provides that in addition to the dioceses previously named, there are additional dioceses outside of Yugoslavia 'under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church In spiritual and hierarchical aspect'. (emphasis ours.) Among those listed is the Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States of America and Canada. Article 16 provides that 'Decisions of establishing, naming, liquidating, reorganizing, and the seat of dioceses * * * is decided by the Holy Council of Bishops, in agreement with the Patriarchal Council.' For the reasons hereinafter stated, we believe that Article 16 applies only to those dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church which are under its jurisdiction in both church hierarchical and church administrative aspects.

Next, in the body of private laws governing the institutions before the Court, is the Constitution of the Diocese. It states that the Diocese 'is considered ecclesiastically-judicially as an organic part of the Serbian Patriarchate in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.' Article 2 provides that 'All statutes and rules which regulate the ecclesiastical-canonical authority and position of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia are also compulsory' on the Diocese 'with the exception of specific cases which must be formulated with regard to local circumstances in accordance with ecclesiastical and judicial principles.'

Article 3 of this Constitution provides that the jurisdiction of this Diocese includes the entire political territory of the United States and Canada, which by its geographical location enjoys 'full administrative freedom' under which 'it can independently regulate and rule the activities of its church, schools and other diocesan institutions and all funds and beneficiences, through its organs, but in accordance with the laws of this constitution and in agreement with the laws of the United States of America and Canada.' The highest legislative and administrative authority of the Diocese is the Diocesan National Assembly; its executive and administrative organ is the Diocesan Council. The Diocesan Assembly is opened by the Diocesan Bishop. One of its functions is to make changes and amendments to the Constitution 'with the approval of the Holy Bishop's (sic) Assembly of the Serbian Patriarchate.'

Article 9 provides that the Bishop of the diocese shall be appointed by the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Patriarchate. Article 13 specifies that when the seat of the Diocese Bishop is vacated, the administration of the Diocese, in spiritual and administrative matters, shall be upheld by the Diocesan Ecclesiastical Court and Diocesan Council until an administrator is appointed 'by the Serbian Patriarch with the Holy Poantifical Synod.' Article 14 provides that the Diocesan Bishop is the supreme head of the St. Sava Monastery in Libertyville and that he appoints the abbot of the monastery and 'conducts the canonical supervision and the higher executive authority over the monastery.'

Article 149 provides that the property owned by the Diocese is 'to serve exclusively for the purpose designated by the statutes of this Constitution and cannot be used for any other purpose.' Article 155 provides that the Diocesan Fund consists of 'all funds and assets which the Serbian people of the entire Diocese, individually or collectively through their church-school congregations and other various societies and organizations should establish, increase and dedicate to the mutual necessities of its church and school for the religious and educational aims of the entire Diocese.' It further provides that the Diocesan Fund is to be supervised by the Diocesan Council. Article 156 provides that all real estate and personal property of the St. Sava Monastery in Libertyville is supervised by the monastery's administration 'under the direct control of the Diocesan Bishop.'

The By-laws of the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Sava--the not-for-profit corporation formed in 1945--provide that it is an autonomous Serbian Church institution; and further provide that the corporation 'possesses its own property which cannot be disposed of, sold, mortgaged or otherwise conveyed by any Serbian Church authority, without the consent and approval of the Diocesan Council, headed by the Bishop and the Diocesan...

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7 cases
  • St. Sava Mission Corp. v. Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese
    • United States
    • California Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
    • September 19, 1990
    ... ... SERBIAN EASTERN ORTHODOX DIOCESE FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA et al., Defendants and Respondents ... No. C003665 ... corporations against his appointed successor, Bishop Firmilian Ocokoljich ("Firmilian"), contending the actions of the Holy Assembly violated the ...         At this juncture of the litigation, on the record before us, we do not see why St. Sava's claims cannot be adjudicated upon "neutral ... ...
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    • United States
    • United States Appellate Court of Illinois
    • March 25, 2005
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  • Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese For United States of America and Canada v. Milivojevich
    • United States
    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • June 21, 1976
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    • United States
    • Illinois Supreme Court
    • March 24, 1975
    ... ... The parties, as they are presently constituted, are as follows: ...         Plaintiffs: ...         Bishop Firmilian Ocokoljich ...         Bishop Gregory Udicki ...         Bishop Sava Vukovich ...         Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese for the ...         In determining the issue before us, this court has limited itself to the 'narrowest kind of review,' to what Justice Frankfurther referred to as 'one aspect of the duty of courts to ... ...
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