Serbian church

The election on Friday of a new patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church is anything but certain, since membership of the church's highest council, the Holy Synod, is divided among those who prefer a reformist path and those who hew to tradition.

Patriarch Pavle, the Church's beloved leader since 1990, died last November, two years after asking the synod to relieve him of his duties due to illness. But his death has left a power vacuum, with many interest groups within and outside of the Church vying for influence over the selection of his successor.

"There are many more than two wings," one of the synod's younger bishops, Fotije, told the DPA news agency. "We have bishops 80 years old, educated before World War II and with huge experience. Then there are bishops under 40, also well educated in era of digital communication."

How far from the far-right?

Inside the dramatic white facade of Sveti Sava Cathedral in Belgrade, a crowd of Serbian Orthodox followers are enjoying the afternoon service. Dedicated to St. Sava, the Serbian Orthodox Church's 13th century founder, it is one of the oldest church buildings of its kind in the world. Worshippers are surrounded by ornately painted interior walls.

But just outside this cozy scene, members of far-right ultranationalist group Obraz are attending a service as well, gathered around a bonfire. They're known for inciting violence and threatening anyone they perceive to be an enemy of Serbian culture - a list which includes ethnic minorities, gays and lesbians, and the politically liberal.

It's an interesting parallel with the situation now faced by Serbian Orthodox church leaders: just how close do they want to be to the ultranationalists who have used religion as a weapon? It is a battle between advocates for a more modern, open church, and those who prefer a conservative gatekeeper who will preserve Serbian culture against the secular influences of western Europe.

The Orthodox Church is still criticized for being too closely linked to ultra-nationalism in Serbia, just as it was during the wars which broke the former communist federation of Yugoslavia into pieces.

Those fighting for a "Greater Serbia" used the church to spread their message. Religion and ethnicity are closely connected in this region, and Serbian Orthodoxy is seen as having helped fuel ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.

The voice of the cleric, a voice of the people

Drasko Djenovic, a religious affairs commentator in Serbia, said the church still has quite a lot of pull in Serbian society. When the patriarch makes a statement on some political issue, people listen. Some 85 percent of people in the country profess the Serbian Orthodox faith.

"The patriarch is always the national leader," Djenovic told Deutsche Welle. "In what direction Serbia should go very often depends, actually, on the voice of the patriarch."

But he added that today's Church needed to clearly separate itself from any kind of extremist movements.

"The church needs to be somewhere in the middle, and to open doors to everyone," Djenovic said. "Today's church is faced with (issues like) pedophilia, rape, war crimes - but the church was basically silent and just put everything under the carpet, and closed their eyes like nothing happened."

Traditional vs. modern

Serbs around the world were deeply affected by the death of Patriarch Pavle in November. Six hundred thousand lined the streets of Belgrade for his funeral procession. They admired his messages of peace and personal humility, how he always shunned his official car to travel through the city by tram.

The upcoming selection of his replacement has split the opinion of bishops, it has split public opinion as well. People are divided over whether to opt for a conservative or modern figure.

Aleksandar Rakovic, from Serbia's Ministry for Religion, told Deutsche Welle that politicians will not interfere in the election process, but it was clear that he preferred the progressive over the traditional.

"The new Serbian patriarch should be a person of the 21st century, to understand the place of religion in the 21st century," he said.

Author: Mark Lowen (svs)
Editor: Kyle James