Week 20: An open letter to the Hierarchs, Clergy, and Faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Church
- Special Correspodent
- Mar 18
- 3 min read
We have received credible information that this letter was sent to the hierarchs, clergy and leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church at home and throughout the diaspora.
Your Grace,
Reverend Fathers,
Reverend Fathers and esteemed members of the parishes of the Eastern American Diocese,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
There are moments in the life of the Church when a line is crossed quietly, and there are moments when it is crossed before everyone. This past Sunday was not like any other. It was a turning point. We write to you now so that no one — neither now nor in the future — will ever be able to say:
“We did not know.”
For twenty Sundays, the faithful of St. Sava Cathedral have stood in front of their church. They do not stand in rebellion or hatred. They stand in grief and conscience, hoping to be heard in the Church they themselves built. For twenty Sundays, they have been met with silence.
This Sunday, something changed.
Dozens of them — children baptized in that church, altar servers, choir members, families who learned their first prayers there — stood outside.
That day, they were not standing outside because of the weather.
They were standing outside because they had been left in front of their own church.
They watched the bishop arrive — not as a father — but under police escort.
They watched their parents — peaceful, prayerful — being treated as though they did not belong to the church. They watched a bishop who, accompanied by those very individuals whose slanders have largely brought about the present state of our community, while simultaneously ignoring the entire faithful people, entered the church as though the souls of the majority of parishioners did not matter.
They heard the cries:
“Shame.”
“Unworthy.”
And regardless of whether anyone wishes to acknowledge it or not —
those children will carry that moment with them for the rest of their lives.
Let it be clear: the faithful were not driven by disobedience.
They were driven by conscience.
This is not a question of administration.
This is not a question of discipline.
This is a question of the soul of the Church.
This is a visible fracturing of the relationship between shepherd and flock — happening under your authority.
Silence is no longer neutral.
Silence means consent.
If this is allowed to continue, it will not remain a single incident.
It will become a precedent.
History will remember this moment.
We do not ask to be taken at our word.
We ask that what is truly happening be seen and heard.
The faithful have also clearly expressed their support for Father Dragoslav Kosić, whom they consider to be faithfully serving the Church and his people.
Our goal is not division.
Our goal is truth.
Our goal is the restoration of justice, dignity, and peace in the Serbian church community.
The faithful wish to continue the life of their church community without Bishop Irinej, in peace and dignity.
Because the Church is not merely a building.
The Church is the people.
And when children stand in front of their church, while police stand between them and the altar — something is profoundly wrong.
We therefore write this as testimony, as a warning, and as a verdict of conscience.
For the day will come when a simple question will be asked:
Did you hear when the faithful wept?
Did you see what was happening to your people?
And then no one will be able to say:
“We did not know.”
With grief, truth, and the fear of God,
The Faithful of St. Sava Cathedral
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