Little more than a month is left until the Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church, where the patriarch will be elected on February 18, and as that deadline approaches, the atmosphere between bishops and possible candidates becomes increasingly tense and uncertain.
The number of candidates seen as favorites is also increasing, and among the new names for the possible head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Kurir’s source says, is the Bishop of Sabac, Lavrentije, who will lead the Parliament session, because he is the older bishop. He adds that support among the bishops of Dusseldorf-Germany, Gregory, has been declining among the bishops since he presented his political views, so the Serbian Orthodox Church reacted officially by distancing itself from them.
– Bishop Lavrentije is 85 years old, and has been a bishop for 53 years, he has no romance behind him, he is respected in public and the faithful see him as a bishop close to the people, in the diocese, on the ground. All this makes him a candidate for support even among the bishops of the Council. He was very close to the late Patriarch Irinej, and the bishops believe that his leadership direction of the church would be similar, that is, that he would continue with the mission of harmony and reconciliation, maintaining a good balance between church and state. After his speeches, Bishop Grigorije has reduced support in Parliament – says our source.
By the way, Bishop Lavrentije read his name from the envelope extracted from the Gospel in 2010, when Patriarch Irinej was elected head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and thus announced the name of the new patriarch.
Željko Injac
Gregory has no support, but he is betting on his bishops
Religious analyst Zeljko Injac tells Kurir that Bishop Grigorije, who has possibilities due to his political statements and the synod’s clear approach to his speeches, trusts candidates who are close to him. – He personally did not have many opportunities and it is clear that the Council of Bishops does not support him, especially after the official position of the Serbian Orthodox Church after the presentation of his political positions. Other candidates will have support and the opportunity to participate in the draw. However, Grigorije has his candidates he’s betting on, and those are Bishop Joanikije and Bishop Ignatije Midić, Injac says.
photo: print screen
photo: Facebook / Centralmedia
Theologian Miloš Stojković says that according to the Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church, there is no obstacle for the candidate for patriarch to be Bishop Lavrentije, although he will preside over the Parliament session at the same time.
– According to the Constitution, that does not prevent you from running. Bishop Lavrentije would be a good solution, he is a good bishop and took over many dioceses and parts of the church in the diaspora, he showed loyalty to the Serbian church and family, but I am afraid that due to his age and health could not meet numerous obligations. that the patriarch has. My personal opinion is that it would be better if the patriarch was Irinej Bački, he is the most educated Serbian bishop. But the most important thing is to leave the decision to the Holy Spirit, because something depends on us, and much depends on the Lord himself and his desire – concludes Stojković.
