"KEEPING PEACE": Whose Peace Is Bishop Irinej Really Keeping? St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio
- Special Correspodent
- Dec 24, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 26, 2025
The Question No One Is Asking
THE BISHOP'S EXPLANATION
When Bishop Irinej Dobrijević rejected the unanimously elected Parish Board President at St. Sava Cathedral, he gave one reason: "To keep peace in the eparchy and parish." Let's examine what "keeping peace" actually looks like—and whose peace he's really keeping.
WHAT "KEEPING PEACE" LOOKS LIKE
THE REJECTION:
N. M. : Unanimously elected Parish Board President. Years of faithful service. Clear membership status confirmed at the meeting. Hardworking, dedicated. REJECTED by Bishop Irinej.
His reason: "Keeping peace" and questions about her "membership status" (despite proof presented at the meeting).
Result: Parish in uproar. Parishioners distressed. Community divided. No peace.
THE APPROVAL:
Katarina Derek (former corresponding secretary): Documented evidence of false statements about other board members. Financial Secretary offered proof she attempted to alter official communications. Bishop Irinej explicitly refused to review this evidence. Her father, Dragan K., is a former Board President, closely connected to Bishop Irinej.
Questions arise about a letter:
• Did Dragan write a letter claiming to represent "board support" for Bishop Irinej?
• Did Dragan travel to Hermitage, PA to meet Bishop Irinej just days before the 2024 Sabor?
• Did Dragan personally hand this letter to Bishop during that meeting?
• Did Bishop take this letter to Belgrade, presenting it as genuine board support?
• Did the board authorize this letter? Did they even know it existed?
• Why the timing - right when Bishop knew parishioners were sending objection letters to Belgrade?
• Did Bishop need Dragan to provide a counter-narrative showing "all is cool in Cleveland"?
• Did Dragan write what Bishop dictated, the same way Bishop coordinated lock changes at Fr. Dragoslav's home over the phone in real time?
• Does Dragan hope to see his other daughter (married to a priest in Hermitage, PA) and son-in-law transferred to Cleveland as a reward?
• Is Dragan now guarding the church steps to prevent parishioners from going upstairs - to stop them from photographing how few people are inside the church compared to the crowds protesting outside?
• Why did Dragan destroy security cameras on November 16th - was it on the Bishop's orders?
• Why was the antimins stolen just two days later, after the cameras were destroyed?
• Did Dragan destroy cameras so the antimins theft could be blamed on Fr. Dragoslav - the same method Bishop Irinej attempted with Fr. Radujković?
Katarina Derek: APPROVED by Bishop Irinej. Now in "trusteeship."
Result: "Significant uproar among parishioners." Parishioners were "distressed that Bishop would approve someone who demonstrably provided false information." Community outraged. No peace.
Nina Marković vs Katarina Derek: "Keeping Peace" in Action
WHOSE PEACE DID BISHOP IRINEJ KEEP?
Not the parishioners' - they're in "significant uproar."
Not the parish's - community is divided and angry.
Not the eparchy's - 120+ families in canonical appeals to Belgrade.
His own peace - installing people loyal to him regardless of documented dishonesty.
BUT WAIT - IT GETS WORSE
Bishop Irinej didn't just reject the unanimously elected president and approve someone with documented false statements.
He prevented the parish from even discussing it.
THEY TRIED TO REASON:
Step 1: Parishioners scheduled an emergency meeting for February 23rd to discuss the rejected board.
Bishop Irinej's response: FORBADE the meeting.
Step 2: Bishop met with the elected board on March 8th. Parishioners presented evidence of Nina's membership. Financial Secretary offered proof of Katarina's false statements.
Bishop Irinej's response: "Explicitly refused to review this evidence."
Step 3: The Bishop issued a decision. Rejected Nina (unanimous, proper member, hardworking). Approved Katarina Derek (documented false statements, attempted to alter communications).
Reason given: "Keeping peace."
THIS IS HOW HE "KEEPS PEACE"?
His "peace-keeping" strategy:
✓ Reject the unanimously elected candidate
✓ Approve candidate with documented dishonesty
✓ Forbid parishioners from holding meetings
✓ Refuse to review evidence of wrongdoing
✓ Install people with close personal connections
✓ Ignore unanimous parish vote
✓ Create "significant uproar among parishioners"
And call it "keeping peace."
✓ Send trespass notices to mothers whose children attend Serbian language school, Sunday school, folklore, and Sunday liturgy
✓ Ban entire families - children who grew up learning Serbian culture and faith in this cathedral now cannot enter
✓ Turn a house of God built by grandparents into a fortress their grandchildren are forbidden to enter
More "peace-keeping":
✓ Approve only select board members (those loyal to him)
✓ Forbid the board from meeting to do their jobs
✓ Impose trusteeship, claiming "the church doesn't function properly."
✓ Never gave the board he approved a chance actually to function
And the timing of Fr. Dragoslav's removal? October 28th - exactly the 10th day he was required to respond to the third certified letter. He ignored all three letters. But he didn't ignore the deadline. On the exact day he should have answered, he removed Fr. Dragoslav instead.
Is this "keeping peace"? Or is this calculated silencing?
And if everything is truly "peaceful" in Cleveland, why did Bishop Irinej send cease and desist letters to parishioners? If the parish is at peace, what needs to cease? What needs to desist? If the parish is at peace, why does the Bishop call the police every Sunday?
THE TRUTH
What "keeping peace" actually means in Bishop Irinej's vocabulary:
"Keeping peace" = Keeping people who won't question him
"Keeping peace" = Rejecting parish elections when they don't produce my preferred result
"Keeping peace" = Refusing to review evidence that might implicate my allies
"Keeping peace" = Forbidding parishioners from even discussing concerns
"Keeping peace" = Creating chaos and division while calling it peace
"Keeping peace" = My peace. Not yours. Not the parish's. Mine.
THE REAL PEACE
Real peace is 120+ families standing together against injustice.
Real peace is a community that won't let their unanimously elected president be rejected without cause.
Real peace is parishioners who refuse to accept documented dishonesty in leadership.
Real peace is parishioners who won't let Fr. Dragoslav be unjustly removed as the Bishop's retaliation for doing what a priest is supposed to do - guide his flock in exercising their canonical rights.
Because it's a peace he cannot control.
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