Církev a stát
| Title in English | Church and State |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2007 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | There could hardly be a state found in Europe today, which would be as clericalized as Serbia. Its clericalization is particularly carried out by the influential and conservative circles in the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC). Their activities are simplified by the traditional national self-identification based on a confessional affiliation. The efforts of the SPC to influence political decisions of the executive power representatives began to appear particularly in relation to the situation in Kosovo, which the SPC historically regards as its spiritual centre. An opinion that the Church has historically been and still remains a vehicle and a pillar of the Serbian national being, misleads the SPC to ethnophiletism and a part of its high hierarchy to the support of the idea of the so-called Greater Serbia. Tendencies to shift the Church to the role of a decisive political force have intensified since the year 2000. The clerical efforts of the SPC are supported by the political circles assembled around a conservative government Democratic Party of Serbia and its leader Vojislav Koštunica. The influence of the SPC is evident during negotiations with Montenegro and particularly during debates over the final status of Kosovo. |