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Intellectuals supporting the protest movement in Serbia are facing the wrath of bishops loyal to Aleksandar Vučić's regime. Theologians are demanding accountability from church leaders.
"Serbia is a society destroyed by nationalism," Belgrade theologian and historian Vukašin Miličević told DW. He is one of many intellectuals in Serbia who support the student protests.
For more than ten months, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in almost every city in Serbia. They are demanding new elections and an end to widespread corruption. The protest movement was sparked by an incident in November 2024, when a canopy over a renovated train station collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Many residents accuse state officials of being complicit in the accident.
According to available information, “poor workmanship” is one of the causes of the tragedy. So far, the regime of President Aleksandar Vučić (SNS) has not brought those responsible to justice in any independent court. This has angered many citizens. Demonstrations, led by students and their professors at universities, are spreading. They are now demanding new elections. It is currently uncertain whether the regime will survive the protests politically.
"Protecting the interests of the corrupt elite"
Anyone who publicly supports the students, as Vukasin Milićević does, has to face repression. What is special in his case: it is precisely the top of the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) that initiated proceedings against him, thus becoming an accomplice of the authoritarian Serbian ruler.
When it comes to suppressing free thought, Patriarch Porfirije and President Vučić often act in collaboration. This is a circumstance that Vukašin Milićević has long criticized.
“This has nothing to do with looking after the public interest, but with protecting the interests of the corrupt elite, which has practically hijacked Serbia,” he tells Deutsche Welle. The patriarch and several bishops close to him, such as Irinej Bulović from Novi Sad, are part of that elite.
Vukašin Milicevic, an ordained priest and father of four, has been in the public eye before. For example, when the coronavirus spread in Serbia a few years ago. At the time, he criticized what he considered irresponsible behavior of the church leadership during religious services. Several bishops, including then-Patriarch Irinej, and many priests and believers died as a result of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Vukašin Milićević's criticism of the church leadership had consequences: he is no longer allowed to serve liturgy and is currently before the so-called "ecclesiastical court."
This is a church body that resolves disputes within the religious community. Its members are bishops and priests. It is chaired by the bishop responsible for Belgrade, Patriarch Porfirije. If Vukašin Milićević is found “guilty,” in the worst case he faces excommunication – which is the most severe punishment for this devout Christian.
Church leadership is servile
But Vukasin Milićević is not afraid. In an interview with DW, he demands that the church leadership be held accountable for its actions – for example, for servility to the state. He goes on to say that the embezzlement of public funds and violations of Christian morality by the clergy should be investigated.
Blagoje Pantelic, who has written on religious topics for years and is the editor-in-chief of the most influential theological portal in the Balkans (“teologija.net”), also supported the student protests. But the church leadership has made it clear to him: there will be no doctorate. In an interview with DW, Blagoje Pantelic accuses Patriarch Porfirije of putting himself at the service of the regime. “This is unacceptable,” he says.
Pantelic further criticizes the visit of Patriarch Porfiry and Bishop Irinej to Moscow in April. While the Russian army, with the blessing of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine, Serbian guests in the Kremlin joked with President Vladimir Putin. Moreover, they characterized the protests in Serbia as a “color revolution” allegedly instigated by the West.
“The measures against Milićević and Pantelić must be seen in the context of an attempt to control theological discourse,” says Thomas Bremer, professor of theology at the University of Münster.
He also said that theological discussions are taking place outside the church-controlled framework. “It will not be possible to prevent this,” says Professor Bremer, one of the most respected experts on Orthodoxy in the West. If the protest movement in Serbia is successful and the current regime is overthrown, the cadres who supported Vučić will also be held accountable – whether they are part of the army, the intelligence services or even the church./DW
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