Condemnation of the "color revolution" and "Western powers", along with the desire for Serbia to join the Russian world, were the messages that the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, conveyed to the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
Porfirije, in addition to thanking Putin for his support, also spoke about Kosovo, Republika Srpska, and Montenegro, saying that Serbia's position depends on Russia's position, Radio Free Europe writes.
During the meeting in the Kremlin on April 22, which was also attended by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, and the Metropolitan of Bačka, Irinej, there was talk of the love for Russia that is "genetically embedded in the Serbian people" and of the "evil deeds" of the West, A2 reports.
He conveyed Aleksandar Vučić's greetings to Putin and confirmed that the Serbian president will be in Moscow on May 9.
Foreign policy analyst Boško Jaksić told Radio Free Europe that the visit of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church to Moscow is "much more than a gesture."
"His confirmation that Vucic will come to Moscow implies that he met with him before he left and that he likely received instructions, requests or pleas to intervene with Vladimir Putin to save Vucic from what he calls a 'color revolution,'" Jaksic said.
He added that Vučić's visit to Moscow will have "serious consequences for the country's geostrategic position."
Despite frequent warnings from Brussels and its declared aim for EU membership, Belgrade continues to cooperate with Moscow and refuses to join sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
What was said in Moscow about the student protests?
The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church echoed the messages of the authorities in Belgrade, which calls the months-long student protests - demanding responsibility for the deaths of 16 people in an accident in Novi Sad - a "color revolution".
"I hope we will pass this test. Because we know and feel that the centers of power from the West do not want the development of the identity and culture of the Serbian people. Our prayers are always with you and I hope that God will help you," Porfiry told the Russian president.
For the "attempts to overthrow the state", the authorities in Serbia blame unnamed Western services, while support has come from Moscow several times to counter the "color revolution".
This term describes the protests that overthrew authoritarian regimes in former Soviet republics.
Investigators from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) have also provided support to Serbian authorities.
Following allegations that a sound cannon, which is prohibited in protests, was used during the mass protest on March 15 in Belgrade, the FSB, after an investigation in Serbia, concluded that the authorities had not used it.
In the video of the meeting published on the Kremlin's official website, Putin himself did not directly respond to the patriarch's comments about the "color revolution", but said that he "knows that the situation in the Balkans is not simple" and that Russia is aware of the efforts of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church to "strengthen Serbia's position".
Theologian Vukašin Milićević believes that the language used by the patriarch shows that he did not go to Moscow as a representative of the Serbian Orthodox Church or the Serbian people, but "only as a representative of the regime."
"There are more and more voices within the church itself that are coming out, guided by conscience and loyalty to Christian values, and I believe that the wave of change that has touched Serbia thanks to students will also touch the Serbian Orthodox Church," said Milićević.
Student protests have divided Serbian Church officials.
While church leaders with messages from Moscow openly sided with the government, some of the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church supported the students.
"It is known that the clash between the conservative and liberal wings of the church has always been simmering. The conservatives were now in Moscow. The liberal wing was heard in Munich when Bishop Grigorije gave the welcoming speech to the students who came on bicycles," says Boško Jakšić.
Vucic on first visit to Moscow since invasion of Ukraine
The Russian president stated that the Serbian Orthodox Church makes an important contribution to strengthening relations between the Russian and Serbian people, saying that they always have a "special character."
"This is, among other things, because we are connected by strong, deep common spiritual roots. We are always glad to see you," Putin said.
He said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is expected in Moscow on May 9 for Victory Day ceremonies.
Porfirije, through the greetings of the Serbian president, confirmed that Vučić will be in Moscow on May 9 "regardless of the circumstances in Europe and elsewhere."
The Serbian president announced his first visit to Russia since the start of the Kremlin's military aggression against Ukraine in early March, after a phone conversation with Putin.
In subsequent statements, Vucic insisted that he would not change his decision to travel, despite the fact that the West, as he said, could respond with some kind of sanctions.
"It's a big question whether Vucic really wants Serbia in the EU, or whether he wants to bring it closer to the East and tomorrow offer us BRICS instead of the European Union," says analyst Boško Jaksić.
He adds that the Serbian president “would have avoided criticism from both the West and the East” if, instead of traveling to Moscow, he had organized the celebration of Victory Day over fascism in Belgrade.
"But he chose the East," says Jaksic.
As a candidate for EU membership, Serbia has not opened any negotiation chapters as of December 2021.
The process has stalled due to the refusal to harmonize foreign policy with that of the EU and to impose sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Brussels also demands progress from Belgrade in the rule of law and in the dialogue with Kosovo.
"The Serbian and Russian worlds" in the eyes of the head of the Serbian Church
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, said during the meeting in the Kremlin that love for the Russian people and Church is "organically embedded in the culture of Serbia, in the Serbian people."
"Some Slavic countries, without mentioning them, under the influence of powerful Western militarist powers, temporarily changed their orientation, then regretted it, but changed it. The Serbs have never changed it," Kirill said.
He added that what is happening to human morality and ethics in the West is a "work of the devil."
After Porphyry agreed, Cyril explained that "the devil's goal is for man to lose the distinction between good and evil."
Patriarch Porfiry, who spoke in Russian in the Kremlin with the assistance of Metropolitan Irinej of Bačka, stated that the Serbian people see the Russian people as their own.
He quoted the words of the previous patriarch Irinej, who said that "the small Serbian boat, sailing in a turbulent sea, must always be tied to the great Russian ship."
"Our position on Kosovo, Republika Srpska and Montenegro, I consider and feel, also depends on the position of the Russian Federation at the global level. My desire, and that of the majority in our Church, is that in the future, if a new geopolitical regrouping occurs, we will be close to that Russian encirclement, in the Russian world," said Porfirije.
Both Pristina and Podgorica officially commented on this message.
Kosovo's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gërvalla, said that Porfiria's statements in Moscow violate Kosovo's sovereignty and incite division throughout the region.
"Porfiria's words are not weightless words - they convey a vision of the past, not the future. The future of the region is not built on nostalgia for domination and conflict, but on respect and coexistence," she wrote on Facebook.
"We expect a clear reaction from the European Union, as a mediator of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Silence towards statements that undermine peace and incite hatred is not neutrality — it is normalization of hate speech," Gërvalla added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro described the Serbian patriarch's statements as "inappropriate and unacceptable."
The ministry stated that state affairs are exclusively the competence of the institutions of Montenegro, which is a secular state, a member of NATO and a candidate for EU membership.
"Porfirije conveyed to Putin praise for his support for Kosovo, Republika Srpska and the Serbian people in Montenegro, and then, it seems to me, he entered directly into territory that should have been forbidden to him in a nominally secular country. It was not the message of a man of God, but of a man of Vučić," Boško Jakšić assesses.
Theologian Vukašin Milićević describes the messages of the head of the Serbian Church in Moscow as irresponsible.
"When it comes to the way Russian foreign policy and their influence in general is reflected in our region, there is no doubt that it is destructive, because it is clear that it suits Russia to open as many points of conflict as possible," said Milićević.
The European Parliament in March 2022 expressed concern about “the efforts of the Orthodox Church in Serbia, Montenegro and the entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, to promote Russia as a defender of traditional family values and to strengthen ties between the state and the Church.”
MEPs condemned in a resolution Russia's attempt to exploit ethnic tensions in the Western Balkans "to foment conflict and division between communities."/ REL (A2 Televizion)
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