Supporting protesting students could “cost” the Metropolitan of Žiča his dismissal

Metropolitan Justin of Žiča is the target of attacks by the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which has launched an investigation against him because the way he runs the Diocese of Žiča is allegedly questionable. According to Nova, Justin is being asked to resign from his position as head of the eparchy, but the real reason for the proceedings is his support for citizens and students and his open criticism of the repression carried out by the regime over the past 11 months.

We have learned that on Tuesday, the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church formed a commission consisting of Metropolitan Irinej Bulović of Bačka, Bishop Metodije of Budimlje-Nikšić, and Archbishop-Stavrophore Velibor Džomić. The commission is expected to adopt a decision on how to manage the eparchy entrusted to Metropolitan Justin.

The most criticized aspect of his leadership, which is not officially mentioned in the reports (at least for now), is his public commentary on the socio-political crisis in Serbia and his criticism of the government’s repression of citizens.

Let us recall that Metropolitan Justin spoke out after the protests in Valjevo, which were marked by scenes of police violence against citizens. On that occasion, he criticized the actions of the competent authorities, which was interpreted in church circles as a departure from the official narrative of the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

“We urge government officials not to forget their essential duty—to protect the people. Authority is not given for the purpose of violence, but for the purpose of service. The abuse of force cannot bring peace; it can only deepen wounds and leave scars that take a long time to heal. We remind you that we are talking about recent arrests and beatings. And to all those who suffer innocently, we offer our prayers and support so that they may survive and persevere on the path of truth,” said the metropolitan on this occasion.

How Justin became a target

According to information from Nova, the members of the commission will be tasked with interviewing Justin, after which they will, as stated, propose that he resign from his position as Metropolitan of the Diocese of Žiča.

“Justin is an obstacle because his priests have supported the students for 11 months and welcomed them wherever they went… In February, he was a signatory to a letter sent by six bishops to Patriarch Porfirije, in which they emphasized that students are our future, while condemning the Metropolitan of Kruševac, David, who labeled Serbian youth as Ustaše,” our source explains. In recent months, the Diocese of Žiča has been visited by several inspections by the Serbian Orthodox Church, whose aim was to identify irregularities in its management in order to find justification for transferring the Studenica monastery under the direct control of Patriarch Porfirije.

“They have been striving for a long time to have Studenica declared a stavropegic monastery (meaning that the abbot is accountable not to the bishop but directly to the patriarch – ed.), given that it is currently under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Žiča. This idea existed before, but its implementation was accelerated after the public statements of Metropolitan Justin,” emphasizes our interlocutor, recalling that Patriarch Porfirije has already done the same thing in the Eastern American Diocese, where the Church of St. Sava in New York is outside the jurisdiction of Bishop Irinej Dobrijević. “That is why they have been causing an artificial schism against Justin for months. The former abbot of Studenica is Porfirije’s current vicar, Bishop Tihon of Moravica. In internal discussions, he is mentioned as someone whom the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church sees as a replacement for Justin. We are talking about a bishop who, as part of the proceedings initiated against them by the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, interrogated priest Vukašin Milićević and theologian Blagoje Pantelić,” emphasizes the source of “Nova.”

The Diocese of Žiča is one of the most important Serbian dioceses due to its historical, spiritual, cultural, and symbolic significance for the development of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian statehood. The Diocese of Žiča dates back to the earliest period of the organized Serbian Church. It was established during the time of Saint Sava, who enthroned the first Serbian archbishop in the Žiča monastery in 1219, thereby establishing the autocephalous (independent) Serbian Orthodox Church. Žiča thus became the first archdiocese of the Serbian Church, the seat of the first head and the spiritual center of the newly formed Serbian state.

Metropolitan Justin of Žiča was abbot of the Crna Reka monastery and then bishop of the Timok diocese. He has been at the head of the Diocese of Žiča for more than ten years. Experts describe him as an “old-fashioned” bishop who avoids media exposure and is devoted to his diocese and people. He was extremely close to Metropolitan Amfilohije and Bishop Atanasije.

Who is leading the proceedings against Justin?

Although it is clear that no decision within the Serbian Orthodox Church is made without at least the tacit approval of Patriarch Porfirije, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church nevertheless decided not to engage in direct confrontation with Metropolitan Justin, Instead, he initiated the formation of a commission within the synod, composed of his spiritual father, Metropolitan Irinej Bulović, known as one of the most vocal supporters of every regime for years. Let us recall that, together with Patriarch Porfirije, during his stay in Moscow, he “informed” Russian President Vladimir Putin that a “color revolution” was taking place in Serbia.

In addition to Bulović, the commission also includes Bishop Metodije of Budimlje-Nikšić, who has made a major turnaround in the previous period, from a bishop who did not want to attend a ceremonial lunch at Andrić’s wreath to someone who awards Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić with a decoration.

In addition to the bishop, Velibor Džomić, a priest whose name often appears in proceedings brought by the Church against disobedient members, is also a member of the synodal commission. In May, Džomić also participated in the first podcast of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which was dedicated to the “color revolution” in Serbia.

On this occasion, the editorial staff of “Nova” contacted the information service of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Diocese of Žiča to obtain a response to the allegations of an investigation against Metropolitan Justin and a possible request for his removal, but at the time of writing, we had not yet received their comments./Nova.rs/