The leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Patriarch Porfirije, voiced “complete and unequivocal support” for the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who recently received a one-year prison sentence along with a six-year prohibition from political participation. The patriarch characterized the ruling as an attempt to undermine the democratically expressed will of the Serbian people, delegitimize the existence of Republika Srpska, and threaten the survival of Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“While anticipated, I was deeply troubled by the news regarding the highest elected representative of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik… In a process deemed illegal and anti-democratic, the mono-ethnic structure of the so-called Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina upheld the previously imposed prison sentence and political ban,” the patriarch stated in a written declaration.

Additionally, he expressed that his concern is “even more heightened by the unrest in the regions inhabited by the Serbian people, with whom we have coexisted for centuries alongside others of similar roots and language.”

“Consequently, I urge and implore, primarily the religious leaders in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and beyond, to take all necessary actions to maintain peace and ensure a harmonious future for children and younger generations. Political entities must not allow our peoples to become pawns in the interests of those instigating these matters from afar,” the patriarch remarked, appealing to all Orthodox Serbs to engage in prayer for the sake of “at least a minimal degree of mutual understanding for the common good.”

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