Jefrem Milutinović (; born 15 April 1944 as Mile Milutinović) is a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

prelate. He is the sixth bishop of the

Eparchy of Banja Luka The Eparchy of Banja Luka () is an eparchy (diocese) of the Serbian Orthodox Church with its seat in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has jurisdiction over the north-western regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. History Until 1900, territor ...

. He was consecrated Bishop of

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

in 1980, and before the outbreak of the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

he spoke for peace and tolerance. He became a monk at

Liplje Monastery The Liplje Monastery () is a Serbian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Annunciation and located in the Teslić, Municipality of Teslić in northern Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It stands at the widest part ...

in the Banja Luka episcopate. Upon graduating from

Theological Academy Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ana ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

with a Ph.D. in

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

in 1975, Milutinović performed duties as a teacher and counselor at the Theological Seminary of the Holy Three Hierarchs in the

Krka Monastery The Krka Monastery ( sr-Cyrl, Манастир Крка, ; ) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Archangel Michael, located near the river Krka, east of Kistanje, in central Dalmatia, Croatia. It is the best known monastery of the S ...

. In 1978, at the St. Michael Cathedral in Belgrade, he was elevated to the rank of

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He became bishop of Banja Luka in 1980,

Episcopate

Milutinović experienced a more favorable situation than his predecessors, Vasilije Kostić and Andrej Frušić. Much had already been done to renew the Diocese, and the political opportunities were much more favorable. During much of his 26 years of hierarchical work, Milutinović invested in the restoration of what was destroyed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Hieromartyr

Platon Jovanović Platon of Banja Luka (born Milivoje Jovanović; 29 September 1874 – 5 May 1941) was a Serbian Orthodox cleric who served as the Bishop of Banja Luka between 1940 and 1941. His tenure ended in May 1941, when he was abducted, tortured and kille ...

of Banja Luka was canonized during his bishopric.

Temple of Christ the Savior

Among his most significant restoration projects is the renovation of the cathedral. The church was demolished by the

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

in 1941. The

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

did not allow it to be rebuilt until 1991. The first Holy Liturgy was celebrated in September 2004 during the reconstruction period.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milutinovic, Jefrem 1944 births Living people People from Prijedor Bishops of Banja Luka Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitans of the Serbian Orthodox Church