“Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in Serbia

The authors examine the relationship between Church and state in Serbia since the election of the new patriarch in February 2021. They demonstrate the ways in which Church and state have begun to take divergent paths. This is not to suggest that political and ecclesiastical power are not deeply entw...

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Main Authors: Aleksov Bojan, Lackenby Nicholas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2023-09-01
Series:Comparative Southeast European Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2023-0039
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author Aleksov Bojan
Lackenby Nicholas
author_facet Aleksov Bojan
Lackenby Nicholas
author_sort Aleksov Bojan
collection DOAJ
description The authors examine the relationship between Church and state in Serbia since the election of the new patriarch in February 2021. They demonstrate the ways in which Church and state have begun to take divergent paths. This is not to suggest that political and ecclesiastical power are not deeply entwined in contemporary Serbia—they are. However, the authors show how—contrary to accounts which present Church and state as practically homologous—clerical and political leaders are increasingly pulling in different directions. They evaluate the key features of what has so far been a brief, but momentous tenure of the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. A particular emphasis is placed on the new patriarch’s ecclesiastical diplomacy, the ever-increasing role of the Church as a mnemonic agent, the Church’s reaction to Belgrade hosting an LGBT pride parade and, finally, its rapport with the Serbian government.
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series Comparative Southeast European Studies
spelling doaj-art-77cb3925a4e647779f1a91a948f2eaa02025-08-20T02:42:59ZengDe GruyterComparative Southeast European Studies2701-81992701-82022023-09-0171341243310.1515/soeu-2023-0039“Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in SerbiaAleksov Bojan0Lackenby Nicholas1School of Slavonic Studies, University College London, London, UKDepartment of Anthropology, University College London, London, UKThe authors examine the relationship between Church and state in Serbia since the election of the new patriarch in February 2021. They demonstrate the ways in which Church and state have begun to take divergent paths. This is not to suggest that political and ecclesiastical power are not deeply entwined in contemporary Serbia—they are. However, the authors show how—contrary to accounts which present Church and state as practically homologous—clerical and political leaders are increasingly pulling in different directions. They evaluate the key features of what has so far been a brief, but momentous tenure of the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. A particular emphasis is placed on the new patriarch’s ecclesiastical diplomacy, the ever-increasing role of the Church as a mnemonic agent, the Church’s reaction to Belgrade hosting an LGBT pride parade and, finally, its rapport with the Serbian government.https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2023-0039serbian orthodox churchchurch–state relationsserbiapatriarch porfirijealeksandar vučić
spellingShingle Aleksov Bojan
Lackenby Nicholas
“Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in Serbia
Comparative Southeast European Studies
serbian orthodox church
church–state relations
serbia
patriarch porfirije
aleksandar vučić
title “Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in Serbia
title_full “Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in Serbia
title_fullStr “Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in Serbia
title_full_unstemmed “Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in Serbia
title_short “Symphonia”? A New Patriarch Attempts to Redefine Church–State Relations in Serbia
title_sort symphonia a new patriarch attempts to redefine church state relations in serbia
topic serbian orthodox church
church–state relations
serbia
patriarch porfirije
aleksandar vučić
url https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2023-0039
work_keys_str_mv AT aleksovbojan symphoniaanewpatriarchattemptstoredefinechurchstaterelationsinserbia
AT lackenbynicholas symphoniaanewpatriarchattemptstoredefinechurchstaterelationsinserbia