Bishop Grigorije: Decorating Vucic at the Church’s Anniversary Was a Mistake

Bishop Grigorije (Wikipedia)

The bishop of Düsseldorf and Germany, Grigorije, on Oct. 27 said that it had been a mistake to hand President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic the order of St Sava at the 800th anniversary of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s independence, saying, it diminished the greatness of the event.

“For instance, there is an interesting, but good custom in our Church that during Christmas, Easter and other great holidays, you can have no weddings, because you will find either the wedding or Easter more important. Either the wedding pushes aside the great holiday, or the feast swallows up such an important event in people’s lives, like a wedding. So it seems to me that what happened [the decoration] was a huge mistake that showed disrespect for the greatness of the 800th anniversary; all of a sudden there’s this decoration that became more important that the eight centuries of the Serbian Church’s independence under all sorts of circumstances,” said the bishop.

During his appearance in the Impression of the Week TV show, he said that what had happened proves that we have reached a phase in which diversity and differences must not be displayed, which goes against the nature of what the society has accomplished so far.

“We have to protect our diversity, not suppress it in any way. He who wishes to suppress diversity and imprint his own likeness in everyone, whoever he may be, he’s the one that causes division. That is my stand, let’s not cause division,” urged Bishop Grigorije.

Discussing the meeting the bishops and Patriarch of Serbia Irinej had had with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, this past May, Grigorije said that the “collapse” had began when one of the bishops expressed a different opinion.

“A small remark that derailed the entire thing, because someone said something that didn’t agree [with the rest], and what the old man said [the bishop] – I’m sorry, we’re allowed to have our own opinions, and here the collapse began,” said Grigorije.

He pointed out that the idea that differences must not be shown is very dangerous.

Commenting on Vucic saying that he knows exactly which bishops are against him, Grigorije said that he does not fear the president.

“I know who they are, big deal. You don’t scare me because you know who I am. Every morning when I get up I’ll say I disagree with you. Which means that every person should and must say, I am myself, I’m no weak sheep belonging to a wolf. I want to be a man with a character, and as such I want to build a community, not as someone’s subject or servant, not as a non-being, but as a human being, with a name – as Grigorije. This is what I stand for, and this is what needs to happen here,” said the bishop.

He also added he does not take sides.

“I am who I am, I take no sides, and I want you to be yourself and as such stand by me,” the bishop said.